You Bloody Rabbit
by Cyokie Revott
Summary: An AU. Gilbert, a Baskerville, has to make a Contract with a Chain...and ends up with an odd, overeager Chain named Oz the B-Rabbit. Oz has a reputation for being dangerous, but he sure doesn't seem dangerous. He seems like a childish fifteen-year-old boy. Then again, Chains are liars... Centered on Oz x Gilbert. PandoraHearts belongs to Jun Mochizuki.
1. The Contract

Gilbert sighed. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like this.

Although he'd heard other Baskervilles speak of the Abyss, _he_ had never been there. He probably should have been by now, considering Baskervilles were messengers of the Abyss, but…oh well.

Gilbert looked around, feeling nervousness rise within him. He felt terribly lame; the other Baskervilles said they hadn't been nervous at all their first times in the Abyss. They could have been lying, he supposed, but he'd believed them. The Abyss wasn't a very nice place. It had been overcome with darkness, but rather than seeming evil, it just seemed to represent insanity—things that made no sense at all.

Coward that he was, Gilbert flinched whenever he saw a Chain go by. He wasn't looking to get hurt on his first time going to the Abyss. But the Chains always looked at him and then went back to their own business. Gilbert had a feeling that they could tell he was a Baskerville, so they didn't bother him.

" _We're sending you to the Abyss to Contract with a Chain._ "

That's what Oswald had said. He and Gilbert were very close, because Gilbert was in line to be the next leader of the Baskervilles. He didn't quite know _why_ every Baskerville had to Contract with a Chain, but they did. Maybe it was because they were messengers of the Abyss, so it would be natural? Or maybe it was for their safety. Not everyone was fond of them—the Abyss was not known for being a good place, so naturally, _messengers_ of the Abyss weren't liked very much.

"Hey, watch where you're going."

Gilbert jumped, realizing he had almost collided with a teenage boy. The boy had golden-blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"Are…are you a Baskerville?" Gilbert asked shakily, unable to comprehend why else the boy would be there. The Abyss was a place where people who had committed unforgivable sins went, although it wasn't hell, so it seemed that a teenage boy would not be there if he wasn't a Baskerville.

The boy laughed. "Are _you?_ "

Gilbert nodded slowly. He narrowed his eyes, examining the boy. There was something off with him, but Gilbert couldn't figure out _what._

"So you're a messenger. Interesting…" The boy smiled. There was something slightly unnerving about that smile. "My name is Oz. Oz the B-Rabbit."

"B-Rabbit…?" Gilbert flinched back on instinct. The B-Rabbit was the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss, and although talk of it had arisen, none of the Baskervilles had actually _seen_ it. But Oz had to be lying—after all, he was a human. So Gilbert stepped forward again.

"I know what you're thinking. And no, I am not a human." Oz grinned. "Chains can have human forms, you know. When I'm using my powers, my eyes turn red, and I can make my scythe appear. I don't like my rabbit form much. I've really adapted to my human form. Have you never seen a Chain take on a human form?"

Gilbert thought about it. He remembered _hearing_ about Chains who took on human forms, but he had never seen one like that. He shook his head.

"Some messenger," Oz said, but it sounded more curious and light than it should have. "So, why are you here? I've never seen you before."

"You…you've seen…the others?" Gilbert thought that was rather interesting, considering none of the others had seen Oz.

"Yeah, I see everything around here. B-Rabbit's word is law, basically. I'm the leader down here in the Abyss." Oz took in Gilbert's look of shock. His grin grew bigger. "But I didn't really talk to any of your colleagues, see."

"So why are you talking to me?" Gilbert asked. Oz just smirked.

"Are you going to answer my question?" When Gilbert took a moment to look confused, Oz rolled his eyes. "I asked you why you were here."

"Oh, um, the rest of them sent me down here to Contract with a Chain. I'm the only one who hasn't done that yet." Gilbert coughed, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"What Chain are you planning to Contract with? There's a whole _Abyss_ full of them." Oz snorted with laughter. It was Gilbert's turn to roll his eyes.

"I…don't know. I didn't come with plans." Gilbert laughed awkwardly. Who _would_ come to a place like the Abyss with plans?

Oz shrugged, as if it made no difference. Then he grinned straight at Gilbert. "All right, if you don't have any plans…how about you Contract with _me?_ "

"You don't even know my name," Gilbert said in an accusing tone. The thought of Contracting with _any_ Chain made him endlessly nervous, and something about Oz made him ten times more nervous than normal.

"Well then, _tell_ me your name!" Oz said stubbornly. He was pouting in such a childish way it made it difficult to believe he was the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss.

"My name is Gilbert," Gilbert said quietly, unsure if where this was going. "Can I leave now?"

"Gilbert. I like that name." Oz replied, temporarily ignoring Gilbert's question. Then he added, "And you want to leave already? I thought you said you wanted to Contract with a Chain. That's the whole reason you came here, right?"

"Yes." Gilbert said reluctantly. Something about the thought of Contracting with Oz made him feel slightly sick, and he had no idea why.

"You should Contract with me. I want to see the surface world again." Oz circled behind Gilbert and murmured, "I promise I won't kill anyone." He walked back in front of Gilbert, his green eyes darkening a shade. "Unless you tell me to, of course…"

Gilbert flinched. "You can't _make_ me Contract with you."

"And I'm not going to try. But don't you think it's a good idea? I'm sure your fellow messengers would be impressed. You managed to Contract with the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss!" Oz said enthusiastically, trying to get Gilbert into the mood. "Plus, I'm willing to Contract with you without asking for anything in return."

"No. Chains lie. They lie all the time." Gilbert said, half to himself and half to Oz. He was shaking his head, and he sounded angry.

"True. Chains are liars. But who's to say whether _all_ Chains are liars? If I don't know you, then that probably means you don't know me." Oz giggled in an odd and mildly disturbing way.

"I heard from the others that all of the B-Rabbit's other Contractors have ended up dead." Gilbert countered shakily. He didn't have a death wish. He had no intention to die because he'd made a Contract with the wrong Chain.

Oz sighed, but there was something dark in his eyes that made him also seem vaguely amused. "Yes, my previous Contractors all came to quite… _unfortunate_ ends."

"Caused by you?" Gilbert growled. He was trying to sound intimidating, but he obviously wasn't scaring Oz at all.

Oz smiled crookedly. "Yes, Gilbert, caused by me. What else could you have possibly expected?"

"If you killed all your previous Contractors, why would _I_ want to be your next one?" Gilbert demanded. "It seems like being your next Contractor just means being your next victim."

"Who knows? Maybe I won't kill you." Oz answered cryptically.

"Do you say that to everyone?" Gilbert snapped.

Oz's smile seemed more twisted than before. "I might. And I might not."

Gilbert exhaled, feeling exhausted and defeated. Oz was tiring to be around. He got the feeling he should leave and find another Chain to Contract with, but he also got the feeling Oz wouldn't leave him alone.

"Fine, Oz. Then answer me this: why do you want me to Contract with you so badly?" Gilbert asked with sincere curiosity.

"Because I like you, Gilbert," Oz answered simply. "So, will you be my next Contractor?"

Gilbert was taken aback by this answer, and he was also incredibly confused by it. But without thinking, he nodded.

"But…don't you have to consume a Chain's blood to Contract with them?" The mere thought made Gilbert shudder, but it didn't seem to bother Oz at all.

"Oh, we can fix that." Suddenly, Oz's eyes changed to red, and a massive scythe appeared in his hand. He drew the sharp part of the scythe slowly across the back of his hand, so slowly it looked like it must have been painful. Oz didn't even flinch. He held out his hand to Gilbert and said, "Lick it."

Gilbert twitched involuntarily. Then he blinked. "What?"

"Lick it. Lick the cut." Oz smirked, seeing Gilbert's wary reaction. "Oh, come on. Do you want to make a Contract or not?"

"I just…didn't think they did it this way…" Gilbert mumbled. Reluctantly, he drew his tongue across the cut, the taste of blood on his tongue. Perhaps it was disturbing, but the taste of blood wasn't _bad_ —to Gilbert, it tasted a bit like metal somehow. It tasted…tinny?

 _What the hell? Why are you thinking about the taste of blood?_ Gilbert knew it wasn't strange, because blood, although a substance usually associated with bad things, did not taste bad in the first place. Still.

"Are you satisfied?" Gilbert demanded coldly, meeting Oz's gaze evenly. But something was not right; his eyes began to feel heavy, and soon he felt like he was losing his balance. Everything seemed to grow darker—either that, or close in—around him, and he couldn't tell if he had fallen over, was falling, or was still standing. Gilbert tried to snap himself out of it, but he'd lost control of his body and mind. Everything was turning strange.

The last thing he saw was Oz smirking before he blacked out.

 **…**

When Gilbert woke up, his whole body ached. He was lying in his bed in the mansion that the Baskervilles lived in. For a moment he couldn't understand why he was there. And then he remembered.

 _That brat! What did he do?!_ Gilbert sat up, despite the achy pains that followed. He let out a grunt. Lottie must have heard him, because she came rushing over. She stood beside his bed.

"Oswald, Gilbert is back!" Lottie called. She looked at him and assured him hastily, "Don't worry. You're fine. Everything's fine. This is what happens to everyone after they Contract with a Chain. Say, what Chain did you Contract with?"

"Oz," Gilbert answered, although he should have known better; Lottie gave him a puzzled look, before he corrected himself by saying, "B-Rabbit."

Lottie stumbled backwards in shock. " You made a Contract with the _B-Rabbit?_ Quit fooling around." She folded her arms around her chest, refusing to believe him.

Gilbert suddenly noticed that the other Baskervilles had gathered at the doorway. They all wore the same expression of shock on their face; Lily's mouth was frozen open in a gape. Oswald, whose expression almost never changed, had changed only slightly. Still, compared to his normal look, Gilbert could tell he was surprised.

"Not possible," Lily said in her childish, high-pitched voice. She shook her head violently.

All the Baskervilles rather liked Lily, although Gilbert knew his brother Vincent had something against her for her naivety. Gilbert found Lily's naivety cute. She was a child; it was natural. Vincent didn't seem to understand that.

"Don't doubt him just yet." Vincent said smoothly. He walked forward until he was beside Lottie. He was always one to defend his big brother. "Are you…being serious, Gil?"

Gilbert nodded. God, even _that_ ached. But it didn't matter. Suddenly, he felt a far more excruciating pain. It lasted only a moment, and then it turned into a feeling that was purely odd, not anything else. It was incredibly difficult to explain. Then it all went away.

Oz was standing on the other side of Gilbert's bed, across from Vincent and Lottie. His eyes swept across the Baskervilles, as if interrogating each and every one of them. A few of them flinched under his gaze.

"So you're the infamous B-Rabbit, huh?" Lottie said pointedly, glaring at Oz. "You don't look much like a Chain to me, although you obviously are, considering how you just appeared. More importantly—you sure you're the B-Rabbit, kid? Your human form doesn't look very scary."

"Yeah, the rumors said you were terrifying!" Lily shouted, pouting in disappointment. She couldn't seem to believe Oz was the B-Rabbit, either.

"Well. Excuse me for taking on a human form that wasn't mortifying." Oz said, but there was no bitterness in his voice. In fact, his voice was so calm it was strange. "I like this form better than my rabbit form, and I can use my powers in this form, so I basically never use my rabbit form."

"If you'd like us to believe you, it's only natural you should prove you're the B-Rabbit." Oswald said slowly.

Oz turned to him and nodded curtly. He turned to Gilbert and said, "Sorry I didn't show you this before you made a Contract with me. Since I never use it, I didn't think it would make a difference. But…you might get sort of scared."

Suddenly, Oz transformed into a huge, vicious-looking black rabbit wearing an odd outfit that was mostly the color red. It was holding the same scythe from before, except the scythe had been supersized to fit the rabbit's size. The rabbit was black, its eyes bright red, and its teeth gigantic fangs that could no doubt tear someone apart with one bite.

 _He thought I'd only get_ sort of _scared?_ How could anyone _not_ be scared of this beast?

Well, from what Gilbert had seen, Oz didn't seem much like a _beast._ But this form made him look like the most ferocious beast in the world. Gilbert had thought, at first, that no matter how anyone warped its appearance, a rabbit could not be made scary. He was sure the thought had crossed the other Baskervilles' minds, too. How wrong they were. Gilbert was terrified, and the rest of the Baskervilles did too. Gilbert figured that it definitely wasn't just him—this form must have been horrifying to anyone, because the Baskervilles had crossed paths with many horrific Chains, and they were still bothered by this.

"Does this prove I'm the B-Rabbit?" Oz asked. In this form, his voice changed as well, apparently. His voice sounded like a deep, drawling sort of growl now.

Oswald nodded stiffly, and Oz shrunk back down to his human form. Gilbert was, in truth, relieved about this. He had never been very fearless or even brave—and yes, the two were different. So seeing Oz back in his human form was relieving and relaxed Gilbert's nerves.

"Don't go into that form ever again while you're my Chain," Gilbert grumbled. Like him, the rest of the Baskervilles seemed to be relaxing as well.

Oz laughed merrily. His voice sounded so innocent now—so _human._ It couldn't have sounded more different from his voice in rabbit form. He just sounded like…a teenage boy. He sounded the same as what he looked like.

"I won't. Do you see why I got a human form?" Oz answered. Gilbert nodded.

"Just…tell me something." Lottie narrowed her eyes. "I know you're the B-Rabbit. I mean, I believe you now. But…you don't seem at all like what they say. You're too happy."

"Getting straight to the point, are we? Not even trying to soften the blow. And please, call me Oz." Oz pouted, putting his right hand on his hip. Something in his expression darkened severely. "I've done some pretty terrible things, so don't underestimate me. I may not act like what they say, but I can. I can be the monster they speak of that kills in one blow. Understand?"

Lottie's eyes were still narrowed, but she nodded. As she nodded, the rest of the Baskervilles nodded mechanically. Oswald just stared at Oz with that neutral look he always carried. Gilbert was nodding like the rest of them, but his expression made him look like he was going to be sick.

Oz glanced at Gilbert and shot him a brilliant, warm smile. He placed a gentle hand on his Contractor's shoulder. "I'm not going to kill you, Gilbert. I just needed everyone to know…what I'm capable of."

Somehow, Gilbert found a comfort in that green gaze that he hadn't found before, and he calmed down. Although he knew he shouldn't fall for Oz's tricks so easily—because that's what Oz's kindness had to be, since he was a Chain, right?—he couldn't help feeling warm at that smile. That smile was so convincing.

Gilbert silently realized that yes, he was probably just another victim of Oz the B-Rabbit, and that this gentleness was probably something Oz had showered down on all of his Contractors to gain their trust before killing them. And somehow, this didn't bother Gilbert at all.

Oz and Gilbert just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, as if searching for something, before they turned away in unison.

Vincent looked unsure. He gave Oz an icy scowl. "You're _really_ not going to hurt Gil? Because if you do, I swear…" His voice trailed off.

Gilbert sighed inwardly. Vincent was overprotective, and his love for his brother was obsessive. He would be sure to keep track of anyone who could potentially hurt him. Vincent could also be very scary and disturbing when he was trying to be—or sometimes, even when he wasn't trying to be. But Oz didn't look the least bit bothered; he just smirked.

"I won't hurt Gilbert. You've got a nice overprotective-little-brother attitude, hmm, Vincent?" Oz said. Vincent shot him an irritated look.

Out of the corner of his eye, Oz saw Gilbert eyeing him, looking confused. Oz exhaled slowly. Gilbert must have been confused as to how he knew Vincent's name.

"I know everyone here because they've been to the Abyss, remember? And even though they didn't know I was following them, I was? So I learned all their names." Oz explained patiently. "I even know what Chains you guys Contracted with. Lottie with Leon, Lily with Bandersnatch, Vincent with Dormouse and Demios, Oswald with Jabberwock…" He stopped there, although it was obvious he knew more.

A few of the Baskervilles exchanged disturbed looks, but somehow Gilbert wasn't surprised. If Oz was the most dangerous Chain in the Abyss and led all the Chains down there, why _wouldn't_ he be the Chain to know everything about the Baskervilles?

Vincent glared at Oz. "Look. I have no problem with my brother making a Contract with a Chain. But I don't trust you. So you'd better keep Gil safe, or you're going to regret it."

Oz grinned. "Calm yourself, Vincent. You're not nearly as scary as you think you are." His tone was so airy and _not_ offensive-sounding that it bugged Vincent even more.

"No, I think you're underestimating me." Vincent shot Oz an angelic smile. Gilbert knew that smile all too well—that smile that looked so pure and innocent on the outside, but that held sadism and cruelty within. "But I don't want to waste my time with you now. Just take care of Gil, will you? Then we'll be on good terms."

Oz laughed happily, not offering a reply. Gilbert sighed quietly to himself so that no one would hear; he knew that the relationship between Oz and Vincent would probably not be a good one. Vincent was always naturally suspicious of anyone who got close to his brother, but he often went too far.

Oswald motioned for the rest of the Baskervilles to follow him as he began turning away. "Come. Gilbert needs his rest if he's to recover properly from making a Contract with…Oz."

Gilbert could tell from Oswald's hesitation that he wanted to say "B-Rabbit" instead of "Oz". He watched silently as the Baskervilles, all except for Lottie, followed Oswald. Vincent looked over his shoulder and glanced at Gilbert before walking completely out of the room.

Lottie was glowering. "Your brother's a freak, you know." Then she walked out, closing the door behind her and running to catch up with the others.

Gilbert knew that a lot of the Baskervilles weren't very fond of Vincent. Particularly, Lily and Lottie didn't seem to like him. Vincent thought Lily was stupid and treated her like she was much weaker and dumber than she was, and he disturbed Lottie immensely. Lottie had tried to scare Vincent several times by saying obscure and violent things, and when Vincent enjoyed hearing them, Lottie was convinced he was some repulsive inhuman creature.

Now only Gilbert and Oz were left.

Oz gave Gilbert an exuberant grin. "Well, your brother's a piece of work!"

 **…**

Gilbert really had no idea what he was doing.

He never showed the same interest in Chains as the other Baskervilles, and therefore he knew a lot less about them. He never examined the way other Baskervilles treated their Chains, how their Chains acted, or anything similar. Gilbert knew he should have, though. He had no idea how to handle Oz.

It had occurred to him that he should probably make Oz disappear again. Keeping a Chain out in the open all the time was a sure way to incite chaos. But Oz had given the request to stay out in the open with such an innocent look and tone. Gilbert couldn't help it.

 _This won't end well,_ Gilbert had told himself, again and again.

By now, night had fallen. Gilbert had just finished dinner with the rest of the Baskervilles, Vincent gazing at Oz with distaste the whole time. Oz was unfazed, wearing a neutral expression and eating silently. Gilbert was surprised about this; he'd expected Oz to make a ruckus and cause trouble. He never expected a Chain to exhibit manners.

Oz had followed Gilbert back to his bedroom and was now watching Gilbert stare absently out the window. Oz didn't know what his Contractor was staring at, and in truth, neither did his Contractor. With the stress of everything that was going on, Gilbert felt the need to space out and think about absolutely nothing.

Finally, Oz broke the silence. "Where can I sleep?"

Gilbert turned around and stared at Oz evenly for a few moments. Did Oz expect to sleep in the bed? He wasn't even supposed to be out in the open in the first place.

"Well, you're certainly not getting my bed," Gilbert said sharply. "So why don't you sleep on the floor?"

Oz stared back at him incredulously. "The _floor_ doesn't even have carpeting." He stomped on the hard ground for emphasis. "I get that I'm a Chain, but be _nice._ "

"No." Gilbert said. His voice was firm. "If you want to stay out in the open like this, you're going to sleep on the ground."

Oz promptly sat down next to Gilbert on the bed and ignored him. "So your brother calls you Gil? That's cute. I like that. Can _I_ call you Gil?"

Gilbert thought about it for a moment. He was beginning to get annoyed with Oz. "No."

"That's too bad, Gil, because I'm going to do it anyway!" Oz chirped. His expression was irritatingly cheery.

Gilbert sighed, not bothering to make it quiet. He wanted Oz to hear how agitated he was. Oz was really starting to get on his nerves. It was like he expected to be treated like any other Baskerville, like a _human._ He was a _Chain,_ not a human. He might have a human form that looked like a cute fifteen-year-old boy, but that didn't change anything. He was a _Chain._

"Get off my bed." Gilbert pointed forcefully to the ground. "You're sleeping on the floor. Didn't I make that clear?"

"Yep, you did!" But Oz didn't move.

Gilbert grunted and pushed Oz off his bed. He wasn't enjoying his first day as a Contractor at _all._ Were all Chains like this? He already knew the answer without asking any of the others. Oz was unique, all right.

Oz let out a little squeal as he fell, and when his body hit the floor, he groaned.

"Fine," Oz said in a whiney voice, puffing out his cheeks in a childish and dissatisfied way. "I'll sleep on the floor. You're mean, Gil."

Gilbert resisted the urge to chuckle at Oz's babyish instincts. Just how was it that a dangerous creature like Oz could act like this? It was annoying, but in an odd way, it was also cute.

Gilbert turned off the lights and closed his eyes, trying to forget that Oz was there. But he couldn't, and in the end, it was Oz's gentle, even breaths that lulled him to sleep.

 **…**

In the middle of the night, Gilbert felt someone poking his arm. He groaned and his eyes fluttered open to find Oz standing over him. _Of course he has to bother me in the middle of the night, too._ And after he thought he'd get some peace.

Groaning again, Gilbert groggily turned onto his side and glared at his Chain. "What do you want? It's the middle of the night."

"I'm aware of that." Oz smirked. Almost as quickly as he had starting smirking, though, the smirk went away. "Gil, I'm cold."

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?" Gilbert was definitely _not_ going to get out of bed to close the window. There was no chance. He was not willing to sacrifice his comfort for this bothersome boy.

 _Boy._ Gilbert realized that he wasn't thinking of Oz as a Chain all the time now. Maybe it was because Oz acted so much like an actual human…?

Oz didn't say anything, as if the answer to Gilbert's question was supposed to be obvious. So Gilbert just said, "I'm not closing the window. Do it yourself."

"Nope, I refuse!" Oz retorted playfully, slipping under the covers next to Gilbert.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" It was a yell in the form of a harsh whisper. Gilbert really didn't understand this child—he seemed to be thinking of Oz as a human more and more—or what drove him to do such crazy things.

"I'm figuring out how to get warmer without closing the window!" Oz answered eagerly, lowering his volume so it was the same as Gilbert's.

"You're exhausting, you know that?" Gilbert meant for it to sound much colder than it did. Maybe it was the fact that he'd just been woken up in the middle of the night.

"And I'm also still cold." Oz pouted, giving a thoughtful look that only looked ridiculous because of how kidlike he made it look. Then, abruptly, he snuggled up to Gilbert and threw his arms around him.

A light blush dusted Gilbert's cheeks. Oz really _was_ crazy. He wanted to yell at him or at least whisper-yell like he did before, but the only thing he could say was, "You're _freezing!_ "

It was true. Oz's whole body was like ice, making Gilbert shiver a little bit. Oz smiled, burying himself deeper into Gilbert. Gilbert sighed, defeated. He couldn't win this battle.

However, what Gilbert _did_ consider a victory was the fact that he and Oz both slept in their clothes.

After a few minutes, Oz wasn't cold anymore, and his body was as warm as it should have been. Oz sure fell asleep quickly—the moment he started becoming warmer, he'd drifted off again. Gilbert didn't know why, but he really liked Oz when he was asleep. He was calm, and he looked like a human boy—well, he _always_ did, but still—and he was just…well. It was hard to explain.

Gilbert didn't question his motives when he hugged Oz closer and fell asleep again, a happy and comforting feeling flooding through his body like warm honey.


	2. The Monster Inside

"Um…!"

The noise of his brother's confused and slightly agitated voice made Gilbert's eyes snap open. He didn't know what it was, but somehow Vincent's voice woke him up in a flash. It was rare that he could sleep through it. Gilbert sat up, careful not to wake Oz.

Vincent was staring at him, an odd and mildly irked expression on his face. He kept glancing at something next to Gilbert. Gilbert looked where Vincent was glancing.

And then he realized why Vincent had that expression on.

"Oh, uh, h-he was cold." Gilbert stuttered, tripping over his words. "Wouldn't close the window, that brat…" He laughed uneasily.

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "And so your solution to that was…?"

"Nothing weird," Gilbert snapped instinctively, begging himself to relax. "Without my permission, he just kind of climbed in here with me. I was going to kick him out, but he'd already, uh, fallen asleep."

Internally, Gilbert was accusing himself of being a liar. After a moment of having Oz nestled up against him, all thoughts of pushing him away and demanding he go back to the floor left his mind. He was enjoying the closeness for a reason he couldn't comprehend. Oz was exactly what Gilbert needed to fall back asleep. In the end, Gilbert recalled hugging Oz closer. But there was no way he was going to admit that to Vincent.

If he did, who _knew_ what would follow.

"Are you sure that's what happened? This looks awfully weird to me. It's not every day you wake up and find your brother sleeping with a Chain." Vincent looked and sounded like he was convicting Gilbert of a crime.

Gilbert forced himself to roll his eyes. "Vince, I have no idea what you're thinking, but whatever it is, it's not what actually happened."

"Sure." Vincent nodded slowly. He definitely didn't believe Gilbert, but he didn't question him further.

"Hey…hey, Gil…?"

Gilbert and Vincent both flinched. Gilbert was flinching because he hadn't anticipated Oz to wake up; Oz's voice, heavy with sleep, sounded quiet and soft. But Vincent, Gilbert guessed, was flinching at how Oz was using his personal pet name for Gilbert.

Up until that point, Oz had still been somewhat tangled around Gilbert, and he separated himself. He sat up beside Gilbert. However, after untangling himself, Oz also took Gilbert's hand.

"Hi, Vincent," Oz said while letting out a big yawn. "Why are you here?" He didn't sound bothered.

Vincent scowled. "I wanted to know why you were sleeping in the same bed as my older brother."

Oz shrugged indifferently. "I got cold."

Vincent sighed, finally seeming to accept that maybe Gilbert _hadn't_ been lying. But his scowl hadn't completely disappeared. His attention turned back to Gilbert.

"You let him call you 'Gil'?" Vincent sounded vaguely hurt, although it seemed like he was trying to hide it as to not seem vulnerable in front of Oz. "I thought that was our personal thing. I call you Gil, you call me Vince."

Gilbert opened his mouth to say something in return, but nothing came out. He realized how much this probably meant to Vincent. Every bit of their bond, no matter how small, mattered to Vincent. And letting someone else use Vincent's special pet name for him was no exception.

Finally, Gilbert sheepishly said, "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Gil. It's fine. I'll accept anything _you_ accept." The forcedness of this statement was incredibly evident in Vincent's tone; he wasn't even trying to hide it. Then, getting ready to leave, he looked at Oz. "Oh. And if you start doing things you're not supposed to, you are _not_ going to like what happens to you. You're a fool if you think you can escape me. I'm always watching, Oz."

Gilbert had to make sure he didn't shudder after hearing that last part. Unfazed as always, Oz shrugged. Vincent exited the room and closed the door.

"I don't think Vincent likes that I call you Gil," Oz said, as if Gilbert hadn't figured this out already.

Because it was some strange instinct, Gilbert squeezed Oz's hand, but said nothing. For the first time, he thought he might be starting to like this bratty creature that called himself Oz.

It was a major change that had happened overnight.

"Ignore him." Gilbert had no idea where these words were coming from, but he couldn't seem to stop them as they tumbled out of his mouth. "Vince can be pretty ridiculous sometimes. He's just overprotective. Call me whatever you like, Oz."

Oz blinked, giving Gilbert a look that was as surprised as he felt. Gilbert didn't quite understand where that had come from, but if he was being honest, he meant it.

Then Oz kissed him on the cheek.

Gilbert felt the soft warmth of Oz's lips before he actually knew what was going on. He had no time to enjoy it once he finally did realize what was going on, because his heartbeat got astronomically faster and he was panicking inside his head.

Gilbert was going to pull away, but Oz had already done so himself. He stared at Oz like he was insane, and he could feel himself blushing. Oz stared blankly back.

"Just wanted to try it," Oz murmured, gazing strangely into Gilbert's golden eyes. Gilbert's blush got stronger. "I've never…done that before."

Oz could easily be lying—as both he and Gilbert had pointed out, Chains were liars—but Gilbert believed him. And maybe he was a fool for falling for a Chain's dirty tricks, maybe he shouldn't have trusted a Chain that had killed who-knows-how-many people by deceiving them, but Gilbert was bent on the fact that he was really, really starting to like Oz.

Probably more than he should.

As this thought crossed Gilbert's mind, it shook his mind like thunder, and only after a few moments did Gilbert realize there had been real thunder. It was raining very hard, and every few minutes you'd see a blinding flash of lightning. If he and Oz wanted to talk now, they'd have to be louder than they were before.

Oz slipped out of the bed and walked slowly over to the window, leaning on the windowsill and fixed his eyes on the storm outside. Gilbert followed him. Since Gilbert was the taller of the two, he could see over Oz.

It was now that Gilbert noticed how strange this storm was. Although everything that he could see and hear seemed to suggest the sky should be black or at least very dark gray, the clouds were a bright gray instead, as if the sun was behind the clouds and just waiting to come out. But it was obvious that the sun wasn't there.

Storms like this came along sometimes, but Gilbert never really thought about them until now, watching it behind Oz, who was watching the storm even more intently.

"You know how everyone is more afraid of storms that bring the darkest clouds?"

Oz's voice snapped Gilbert out of his trance. Gilbert nodded, although he knew Oz couldn't see him; still, Oz seemed to sense his response, because he kept going.

"Well, it's these kinds of storms that scare _me_ the most." Oz said quietly. Gilbert leaned forward to see Oz's facial expression. Oz was smiling in a pained, solemn way. "It looks bright, but it's the exact opposite of what's actually going on. Reminds me of people who pretend to be happy but aren't."

 **…**

Gilbert was a bit shocked by Oz's statement. Judged on Oz's previous behavior, Gilbert hadn't expected Oz to say something with such deep and disturbing meaning. But Oz said nothing more, and they stayed like that for a while, with Oz examining the storm and Gilbert mulling over what Oz had just said.

Neither of them noticed Lottie had come in until she spoke.

"Are you two having a nice, romantic evening?" Lottie snickered. Oz and Gilbert turned around, and despite the fact that the remark had meant to be sarcastic, they were both blushing lightly. Luckily, Lottie didn't seem to notice. If she did, she didn't react. "Well, you two have been in here all day. You'd better go outside before dinner, or you'll vomit from being inside all day."

"All right," Gilbert replied in a voice that suggested he didn't care much, but would acknowledge it. "Let's go, Oz."

Oz nodded silently and followed as Gilbert walked out of the bedroom, down the hall, and out the front door. Neither Oz nor Gilbert noticed Lottie narrowing her eyes, observing them with suspicion.

Oz and Gilbert were now standing outside during a storm with absolutely no idea what they were doing there.

"Well?" Oz asked expectantly, turning to Gilbert.

"I have no idea." Gilbert exhaled slowly. "I guess we did need to get out."

"I guess." Oz sounded like he really didn't care. "I could've stayed inside with you. But it's nice to get some fresh air."

"Yeah," Gilbert agreed. And then there was an awkward silence that seemed like it lasted much longer than it probably did.

The thing that stopped the awkward silence was when Oz wrapped his arms around Gilbert and whispered, "Gil, I really, really like you."

Gilbert tensed, but it was only for a moment. He relaxed very quickly and realized how much he treasured Oz's words, because he felt the same way.

"Oz," Gilbert murmured, hugging Oz back. He didn't want to let go. He didn't want to ever let go. "I really, really like you, too."

Oz was so close to him Gilbert could feel him smile. And for the first time he wondered how he ever lived without this boy—without this bratty, infuriating, overenthusiastic, irritating, manipulative, beautiful boy. _Boy._ Gilbert was fairly certain that he barely ever thought of Oz as a Chain now.

And Oz really was beautiful. He was so much more confusing than anyone else, so much more unpredictable, and that's what made him beautiful. Gilbert loved him with all his heart.

 _You love him…?_

Gilbert did not expect that thought to cross his mind and was demanding he define "love" for himself. He didn't know what _he_ meant, although he probably should have. _When you love someone, it usually has to do with being family, friends, or having a romantic attachment._

It didn't sound right at all, but he and Oz definitely didn't feel like family or friends. So that left…

 _Not possible._ Gilbert smiled wryly to himself. There was no way he could fall in love with Oz. But that was exactly what was happening, wasn't it?

"Gil? What're you thinking about there?"

Gilbert looked down at Oz, staring silently. It was at this moment he realized how pretty Oz's green eyes were. He knew Oz's eyes were actually red—not to mention that his human form wasn't even his original form—but still. Oz's eyes had so much depth, shining brightly when he was happy and dulling when he wasn't. And if you looked hard enough into those eyes, Gilbert was sure, you could probably figure out something you never knew before.

"Oz, am I just your Contractor?" Again, Gilbert was speaking without knowing where it was coming from. "Do you do this with all your Contractors?"

Only after saying this did it occur to Gilbert that Oz could lie about this. _Chains are liars._ The thought rang in his head like an alarm.

But when Oz shook his head, Gilbert trusted him.

 _I'm such a fool…do I really think I'm special? How am I different from any of Oz's previous Contractors?_ The thought hit him hard, but for way shorter than it should have. Almost right away, the thought faded to darkness.

"No…I don't do this with all my Contractors. I've done similar things, but not like this. I've pretended to be their best friend. I've pretended to be the one they could rely on the most. But never did I do…this." Oz said, for lack of a way to explain _this._ Then he smiled wryly. "Then again, why should you trust me?"

If he'd ever anticipated Oz saying this, he'd expected it to be laced with darkness and implication. But Oz's voice was strangely free of those things, genuine and even pained.

Despite all the time they'd spend together so far, Gilbert still knew very little about Oz. Or maybe it was the fact that what he _did_ know about Oz could all be lies. Oz was a Chain, one known for being a deceptive murderer. How could Gilbert completely trust someone like that?

But Gilbert wanted so badly to trust Oz. His heart ached whenever he thought about how all of this could be a lie, even though it was ridiculous. He shouldn't be getting close to Oz the B-Rabbit. It was dangerous not only to himself but to the others as well.

It didn't make any difference to him.

"I trust you, Oz," Gilbert whispered, although he wasn't sure of his own words.

Oz's gaze shifted to the ground, a deeply troubled expression on his face. Gilbert began to wonder if maybe Oz _was_ being honest all this time. Maybe Oz had decided to change his ways…

 _You moron!_ Gilbert practically punched himself in the face. A Chain changing its ways—who'd ever heard of that? Once a Chain, always a Chain. A Chain never changes. They're manipulative, evil demons that couldn't change if they tried. And Oz was a Chain.

 **…**

Gilbert and Oz hadn't said anything to each other after that, and they'd gone back inside to eat dinner. Vincent decided that he needed to take a walk and asked Gilbert if he'd like to come with him after dinner. Gilbert accepted the invitation, despite suspecting that Vincent didn't really _need_ to take a walk but wanted a chance to talk to him alone. It seemed like the others suspected this too, as a couple of the Baskervilles exchanged looks. Oz stayed silent and kept his expression neutral as he had the last dinner, although Gilbert could detect a pout being covered up and barely stopped.

After dinner, Vincent motioned for Gilbert to follow him. Vincent grabbed an umbrella for the both of them to use and stepped outside, Gilbert stepping beside him under the umbrella.

"What do you need to say, Vince?" Gilbert exhaled slowly.

Vincent smiled and chuckled. But it was mirthless. "You really know me, don't you, Gil…" Then he stopped chuckling and his smile fell completely. He turned a serious look on Gilbert. "He's using you, you know."

Gilbert sighed, knowing exactly what this conversation was going to be about. "Vince, are you jealous of Oz? Because I can still spend time with you—I know I spend a lot of my time with Oz now, but nothing has changed."

" _Everything_ has changed! Don't you see? Ever since you made a Contract with Oz, things have been changing." Vincent's tone betrayed his anger. "You can't trust him, Gil. He's evil, just like the rest of them. You know how Baskervilles make their worst mistakes, don't you?"

"Just tell me." Gilbert wasn't even trying. He'd shut down; he didn't want to have this conversation.

"Obviously, we trust our Chains too. And unlike other people who Contract with Chains, we consider them friends and allies rather than just tools. But we can't let them get to us." Vincent said grimly. "We can trust them, but we can't trust them so much that they cloud our judgment. If we trust a Chain too much, they'll take advantage of us, play with us like prey."

"Thanks for the lesson, Vince." Gilbert rolled his eyes. He knew all of this already—he'd heard it a thousand times. _All_ the Baskervilles had heard this a thousand times. It was a constant reminder to be on their guard at all times.

"Take me seriously! Don't you understand how dire this situation is? I'm trying to _protect_ you. You're going too far, Gil. You trust Oz too much. You're letting him get to your head." Vincent protested, not only angry but irritated now as well. "I've seen the way you look at him, the way you talk to him. Oz doesn't love you!"

"How do _you_ know that?" Gilbert hissed, completely ignoring the fact that his brother had noticed his feelings for Oz. Normally, he would have mulled over this and taken time to be shocked, but he couldn't afford to do that now. "You don't know _anything_ about us! You don't _know_ that all Chains are the same. You don't _know_ that!"

Vincent fell quiet. Gilbert gulped, realizing how terribly harsh he sounded, and how he _never_ sounded like that when talking to his younger brother. A look of shock came across Vincent's face, only to be replaced by mild disgust.

"Gil, you know I love you no matter what happens." Vincent's voice was silky smooth now, so much so that it was disturbing. "You're talking like you're crazy, though. I don't understand anything you're saying. You can't trust Oz. He'll use you until the day he finally kills you off, Gil. I don't want you to die."

"I have no plans to." Gilbert scoffed indignantly, despite the growing insecurity inside of him.

"I know. That's what I'm worried about. I think you're planning your own death without knowing." Vincent said softly. "This thing you have with Oz is a plan you have to die. It's a knife you're getting driven through your heart, _of your own will._ I don't think you know it, but you're either entirely insane…or have a death wish."

"I don't have a death wish! For God's sake, Vince, really…" Gilbert shook his head furiously. His voice had risen in volume. "Maybe Oz _isn't_ like the other Chains. Maybe he's _different._ "

"Oz is not different, Gilbert!" Vincent yelled, startling Gilbert both by how loud he was and his use of Gilbert's full name. He used Gilbert's full name sometimes, but usually it was only when he was being very serious or trying to get a point across. "Oz the B-Rabbit is _exactly the same,_ Gilbert. He's killed all of his Contractors so far, and he'll kill you too. Oz just likes to play with his prey before killing it! He's playing with you!"

"He isn't playing with me!" Gilbert shouted. "You know what's going on here? You're jealous. You're jealous because it used to be you and me against the world—brothers forever. You're jealous because you used to get me all to yourself all the time, and now you have to live in the real world, because your precious big brother has gone off and finally found a friend!"

Vincent's eyes widened. Then his face contorted to a snarl. "I can't believe you. I love you no matter what, Gil, but this is ridiculous. It's stupid. It's not something I should have to argue with you about."

"You know how we could end this? We could leave each other alone and agree to think differently!" Gilbert growled. Then he lowered his voice, trying to calm everything down. He didn't like the direction this had started going; he hated fighting with Vincent, especially because Vincent was cunning and determined and almost always won…and because Vincent was his little brother. "Look, Vince. I'm sorry about this. I'm really, really sorry. I know I haven't been spending as much time with you, and I know you don't trust Oz. But _I_ trust Oz, okay? And yes, I've thought of what I'm getting myself into. But Vince, I…I'm sure this will work itself out eventually."

Gilbert didn't believe himself, and he could tell neither did Vincent. But Vincent's expression softened and his voice grew small.

"All right, Gil." Vincent murmured gently. "I'll let you be, but I just want you to know…I love you. That's why I was saying all this."

Gilbert put a hand up, signaling for him to stop. "Let's put this aside for now, okay?"

Vincent nodded silently. By now they'd walked in a circle around the house of the Baskervilles. He watched as Gilbert walked back inside, seeming satisfied with himself and the ending to the argument.

Once Gilbert closed the door behind him, Vincent spat on the ground in outraged defeat.

 **…**

Gilbert didn't bother to check if Vincent had followed him inside. Oz walked straight to him and immediately asked, "What did he say?"

"He doesn't trust you. Thinks I'm killing myself by trusting you this much," Gilbert said in a bored tone. He shrugged.

Oz looked up at Gilbert, a determined fire lighting his eyes. "Can I ask you something, Gil?"

Gilbert nodded slowly. He really hoped he wasn't going to need to participate in another argument; he'd had his fill of fighting.

"Why _do_ you trust me? I mean, are you self-centered or something? Do you think you'll get special treatment?" Oz laughed dryly.

"No. I just…trust you. Even though I know I'm probably the same as the others," Gilbert replied honestly.

"But don't you understand how dangerous this could be? I've _murdered_ all my previous Contractors. Who's to say you won't end up the same?" Oz demanded. "Who's to say that I…that I won't kill _you,_ too?"

Gilbert grunted, aggravated. He was having the same conversation all over again. But what he didn't understand was why Oz was the one saying all this. It was like he was urging him not to trust him, even though his trust was undoubtedly a good thing to have, bad intentions or otherwise.

"I don't believe you will." Gilbert answered. He knew it was the most stupid answer possible, but it was what he thought in his heart. Maybe his heart was stupid.

"You don't believe I can kill you?" Oz asked coldly. "Because I can—I could kill you right now if I wanted to."

"No, that's not what I meant." Gilbert said quickly. "I meant that…I don't believe you'll kill me. I know you _can,_ but you _won't._ "

Oz fell silent. Then he looked back up at Gilbert, his eyes troubled. "How do you know that, Gil? What if I told you otherwise? What if I said I was going to kill you and that you're exactly the same as all my other Contractors?"

Even the suggestion of those words stung, and Gilbert wished he hadn't heard them. He didn't want to consider the possibility that Vincent could be right. But he gazed down at Oz, his eyes brightened by some type of burning fire.

"I wouldn't believe you."

The shock that spread across Oz's face was a reflection of how Gilbert felt at that moment. He couldn't believe he'd actually said that. Just how idiotic _was_ he? But to his horror, he realized that he'd answered from his heart again. He really wouldn't believe Oz if he said he was the same as his other Contractors, if he said he was going to murder him just like the rest of them, He wouldn't believe him.

The shock on Oz's face turned to terror.

"You can't trust me, Gil!" Oz's voice was brimming with alarm and fear. Gilbert had no idea what the fear was focused on. "I don't _want_ to kill you. I don't want this. I never asked for this!" His eyes were a huge ocean of confused emotions, and he looked manic.

"What?" Gilbert asked, unable to determine what Oz was telling him.

"I'm a Chain, but who ever said I asked to be one? I never said I wanted this. I never said I wanted to be a Chain, much less the leader of the Abyss! Being a Chain is a curse, Gil. It's like you have to be evil. You _have_ to find Contractors and corrupt them and manipulate them until you get your chance to kill them. And you'll _enjoy_ it, Gil. That's the worst part—you'll find all of this amusing until it's over. You'll be miserable for a while, knowing what you've done. Then you'll do it again." Oz's eyes were wide and he was shivering as if he was cold. "You'll do it over and over again. It never ends, Gil. It's an endless cycle of guilt and sadistic amusement and darkness and pain. You'll hate every moment of it, but at the same time, you'll love it. And you'll go along with it until the day _someone_ finally destroys you. That's why it's horrible to be the most powerful Chain in the Abyss. You can defeat anyone you want. Nobody can destroy you. The cycle will never end. You'll keep fighting for this life you hate so much because nobody can end it for you."

"What are you _saying,_ Oz?" Now Gilbert sounded as alarmed as Oz. He was scared now—more than scared. What Oz was saying sounded insane, but it made so much sense at the same time. And once Gilbert finally understood it, he was even more scared.

"I don't want to kill you! I care about you! I want this to stop, but it _never will._ " Oz shuddered violently. "I can't help it. Even though the real me—the real Oz—doesn't want to hurt anyone, the Chain part of me has a thirst for blood that always takes over. It doesn't _matter_ who I am or what I think, Gil. The part of my mind that's Chain will always win. And I'll keep finding Contractors and killing them. But I'm _sick_ of this, Gil."

"You're sick of it?" Gilbert could barely understand what Oz was saying, but he understood it just enough. Still, he repeated what Oz had said, confusion in his voice. "Didn't you just say you liked it?"

Gilbert was so, so scared.

"The _Chain_ part of me likes it. The Chain part of me loves it. But _Oz_ hates it. _Oz_ doesn't want to hurt anybody. But the Chain part of me has won every single time so far. And I don't think _Oz_ will ever win." Oz's eyes had become wet and scared. He looked even more frightened than Gilbert felt, and now Gilbert understood what Oz was afraid of.

Oz was afraid of himself.

"You…Oz…can win." Gilbert said in a warm, comforting voice. He only wanted Oz to stop talking like this. He wanted him to calm down. "You can do anything if you try."

"No, you don't get it. You're not a Chain." Oz shuddered again. "I'm sick of hurting people. I'm sick of this endless cycle. I'm sick of watching people die because of me. And you… _you_ made me realize it, Gil. No one has ever made me feel this way before. You made me realize how sick of this I am."

For a second, Gilbert felt delighted that he was the one who'd made Oz realize he didn't want to hurt anyone. Then he just felt afraid like before.

"I'm _sick_ of this! I'm sick of it!" Oz yelled. Luckily, the Baskervilles were all in other rooms far away from the one where Oz and Gilbert were. Still, Gilbert motioned for Oz to come into his bedroom quickly, and Oz ran inside, panting as if he was tired. But it was definitely the fear and insanity clawing its way through him. Gilbert slammed the door.

"You're okay," Gilbert murmured, holding Oz close to him. Oz clung to him like he was going to fall down and die otherwise.

"No, I'm not okay. I was never okay. I hate this! I'm sick of this!" Oz was yelling again, but this time, Gilbert didn't try to stop him. "I can't do this anymore, Gil. I care about you. I care about you and I love you, but someday I am going to kill you. And I can't do anything to stop it."

And Oz was weeping.

The tears ran down his face like tiny streams, and Gilbert hugged Oz even closer. He hated seeing Oz like this, but he knew Oz needed to get all this out. Plus, Gilbert knew, it was good Oz was being honest with him…no matter how horrible the truth was.

Oz just cried for a while until he sniffed and looked up at Gilbert. His eyes were ablaze with unimaginable fear.

"I'm so scared," Oz whispered. "Gil, I'm so scared."

"I know," Gilbert said in a small voice, running his hand through Oz's hair. "I know."

"It's like there's a monster inside of me, and I want to get rid of it _so damn badly…_ " Oz's voice trailed off and he made way for more tears and whimpers and wails.

"So why don't you?" Gilbert squeezed Oz's hand. "You can. You can get rid of the monster."

"No. _No._ You don't understand." Oz looked into Gilbert's eyes. It felt as though he was staring straight through him. "Gil." The fear crept back into Oz's voice. "How do you get rid of the monster if you _are_ the monster?"

"You're not the monster. Not all of you," Gilbert mumbled. "I fell in love with the part of you that isn't a monster."


	3. If I Lose Myself

As he had been so often since making a Contract with Oz, Gilbert had spoken without thinking. His heart seemed to work together with his mouth these days, spouting out whatever nonsense it felt without consulting his brain. But this time, Gilbert didn't care, and he didn't try to take his words back. He wanted Oz to know how he felt—anything to keep Oz from talking like this, to keep the fear from completely destroying him.

And Oz was staring, wide-eyed, at Gilbert. It was as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard, and he was terrified of not only those words but everything else that was happening.

"You can't fall in love with me," Oz whispered. He looked like he was in so, so much pain.

Gilbert's heart was aching. _I can't stand seeing him like this._ It hurt. Not just mentally, either. It _physically_ hurt. Oz was suffering, and Gilbert hated seeing people suffer, especially if he really cared about them.

For the slightest moment, Gilbert was left to wonder how he'd gotten this close to Oz. It hadn't been very long at all, and yet, he was attached to Oz like he'd known him his whole life. As if they were meant to be together all along…

But Gilbert didn't believe in such things. He didn't believe in fate. He hated the idea that he couldn't control his own life. But maybe there could be an exception. Maybe there were certain aspects of fate that Gilbert _did_ believe in, such as the fact that he and Oz belonged together and were meant to be since the before they met.

Gilbert couldn't stop berating himself for being so crazy for Oz. It was strange, unheard of, for a human to fall in love with their Chain. It made no sense, and Gilbert was certain that the Baskervilles would do something to Oz if he told them. Vincent already knew, which Gilbert was sure would be a disaster. Vincent hadn't done anything _yet,_ but if Gilbert knew his little brother, he'd do something soon.

"But I did." Gilbert responded gently, matching the low volume of Oz's voice. However, his voice lacked the breathiness of Oz's. His arms were still wrapped around Oz.

"You can't." Oz shook his head. "Why aren't you bothered by this? Are you insane?"

"I _am_ bothered. I'm extremely bothered." Gilbert admitted. "But what difference does it make? Just because you're a Chain doesn't mean I can't love you."

"Do you not get it? Gil, I'm going to kill you!" Oz's voice grew loud and hysterical, only half sane. "I'm going to kill you! Someday, when I lose control of myself again, I'm going to cut you open with that stupid scythe of mine, and you're going to die at my hands!"

"No, I'm not. If you've lost to the Chain part of you before, surely you've learned something from your previous experiences." Gilbert was aware he probably sounded dumb, remaining calm in a situation like this. "You can escape the Chain part of you, Oz. You'll always be a Chain, but you don't have to follow your Chain instincts."

"The Chain part of me is telling me to kill you now." Oz's voice had lowered again. Sorrow was overflowing from his voice. "It's telling me to use my powers, to cut you open and watch you bleed. It's telling me that if you die, I'll be free of all this pain."

"It's not you," Gilbert murmured, trying and failing to comfort his partner. "It's not you."

"But it _feels_ like me, Gil. It always does. It feels like me, but I know it's not." Oz did that violent shudder he'd done twice before, and Gilbert felt it. Not just the shudder, but the pure dread, the pure terror. "I'm a monster, Gilbert. Run away."

Despite the feelings that shudder had held, the horror in Oz's voice had disappeared. Now he only sounded weak, as if he was losing strength. As if he'd collapse any second. His voice was breathy and so quiet Gilbert barely heard it. Gilbert gazed silently into Oz's eyes.

Those gorgeous green eyes were staring back up at him, as if daring him to stay. Along with that dare was pain, darkness, a type of suffering Gilbert had never felt before. And he would stay. Gilbert would stay. He refused to run away. He refused to give in and admit that Oz was a monster, because he didn't believe Oz was a monster.

"I'm not going anywhere." Gilbert didn't say at as if he was comforting Oz, but more like he was standing up to him; his voice was bold. "No matter what you say, I'm staying here and taking care of you."

"Don't you see? There's nothing to take care of. Soon, I'll be entirely gone, and the Oz you know will be nonexistent. You'll try to protect me, insist I can fight the monster inside, but the only part of me you'll be speaking to _is_ the monster. And while you're trying to support me, I'll growl and hiss and strike you again and again. You'll refuse to fight back, and in your last breath you'll say I don't have to kill you. And then I'll kill you." Oz said bitterly. His voice was so cold. "Then I'll kill you, and you'll be dead, never to return. The Chain part of me will fade so that the real me can see what I've done, and I'll cry and be miserable. At the same time, that Chain part of me will love it, revel in it. But I love you, Gil. So I'll probably go find a cliff somewhere and jump off it. Maybe get a knife and drive it through my chest."

Those words hurt.

Oz's words were killing Gilbert, because the words were laced with an air of hopelessness, of dark certainty. It was like Oz was absolutely sure of what he was saying. He didn't believe for one second he could resist the monster inside of him. He believed that the Chain part of him would win once again, driving him to murder Gilbert as he did the others. And he believed that he'd commit suicide after.

"I won't let you," Gilbert said firmly. "I'll make sure you don't kill me. I'll make sure you don't give in."

"What?" Oz hissed. "You think you can stop me? You think anything you say will get through to me when the time comes? No! Nothing you say will get through to me. Nothing you say will matter." The ferocity in his voice was unbelievable. Some of his spit flew into Gilbert's face. "I'm stronger than you! Hell, I'm stronger than all of the messengers and their Chains combined! I'm the strongest Chain to ever come out of the Abyss, the one who could potentially end everything! And you think you can _stop_ me? You're a human, Gil! A _human!_ Humans are weak compared to any Chain! You might be a messenger, but that means nothing. That means _nothing!_ "

"I know. I'm a human. I'm a weak human. And if you used your powers against me, then I'd surely lose." Gilbert closed his eyes briefly before continuing. "But have you ever loved someone before? Right—you haven't. So you don't know what happens if someone that you love—someone who also loves you—tries to get through to you."

"It doesn't matter! If the Chain part of me takes over, I won't feel _anything_ for you, Gil. Chains don't feel love, or compassion, or any of those things. You'll be nothing more than my prey." Oz leaned into Gilbert, and the tears began flowing again. He sniffed a couple times, and when he spoke, his voice was warped because of his crying. It was also muffled, since he was still leaning into Gilbert. "It doesn't matter what you do or how much I love you, Gil. It's not about you. It's not even about _me_ —at least, not the real me. The Chain part of me will completely fade the real me, and it won't care how much _I_ love you. It doesn't care about you. It sees you as something to kill."

"But don't you get the whole point of this? _It_ is not _you._ You've said so yourself, over and over again." Gilbert protested. "And if it's not you, you can get rid of it, no matter how hard it is. Think of your Chain side as a, I don't know, a trait. People can change their personalities."

"It's not a _trait,_ Gil; it's a part of me. I know I said it's not me, but…it's hard to explain. You just don't get it. You have…too much faith in me. You shouldn't trust me that much." Oz sighed, sounding both annoyed and depressed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have two parts of me. One is the part of me that I call myself, and the other is the part of me that is entirely Chain. The part of me that I call myself is made up of _my_ personality, _my_ instincts…but the Chain side is different. And yet, although my actual self is the other side, my Chain side is still a part of me."

"A _removable_ part," Gilbert said eagerly. "That's my point! And that's what you're making it sound like. It's there, it's a part of you, but it's not _you._ That means you can get rid of it!"

Oz shook his head sadly. "No. You think it's like a bad part of my personality or something. In terms of that, yes, people can change. But this is about what I _am._ I was born a Chain, and I will always be a Chain."

"You're a Chain, but you don't have to act like one," Gilbert argued. "I've seen the part of you that's not a monster. I love that part of you. Oz, don't you see? This isn't the impossible mission you think it is."

"Yes, it is!" Oz shouted. Then, remembering they didn't want anyone to hear them, he lowered his voice. "If you're a human, you don't have to act like one. That's just your species. You can act like a repulsive monster if that's what you desire."

"So can't it work the opposite way for a Chain?" Gilbert said pointedly, as if Oz had just proved his point.

"That's exactly the _problem_ ," Oz replied. "Chains are different from humans. Being a Chain means acting like one."

Those words made Gilbert feel as though he finally understood what Oz was saying. The words were simple, probably wouldn't mean much to someone else, but they crashed into Gilbert like a tidal wave.

If you're a human, you get to choose your nature. It's up to you. Being human means exactly what it sounds like—you're human. That's all there is to it. You're part of humanity. Your species is human.

But for Chains, it's different. If you're a Chain, it's not just your species, but your nature. If your species is Chain, you have the nature of a Chain as well. You don't get to choose. Every Chain has the same sort of built in nature that's already there for them. That, along with their species, classifies them as a Chain.

So this was why Oz felt so hopeless. A bit of the hope Gilbert had been holding onto evaporated. But some hope still remained. Gilbert knew Oz could do this, even if he was foolish for thinking so. Oz was stronger—mentally—than he gave himself credit for. He could escape the monster that plagued him.

Gilbert had confidence that if there was _any_ part of Oz that wasn't Chain, then the Chain part could be neutralized.

"We don't have to get _rid_ of the Chain part though, Oz." Gilbert said slowly, thinking every word through. "We might not be able to get rid of it, but we can try to tame it, can't we? We can neutralize it. You can learn to keep your Chain part under control."

"It's not that easy. I mean, now that I think about it, _maybe_ we could do that…but it would be nearly impossible. The Chain part of me has taken me over so many times before. It's not a weak part of me, Gil. It's not a part of me that will fade into the darkness if I ask it to. We'd have to work for this." Oz didn't sound as if he was in pain anymore, like Gilbert's suggestion had given him a shred of hope. But he sounded dead serious. "But…this could work. It _might._ Don't count on anything."

"We won't know until we try! This could _work,_ Oz. You could be free of your Chain side forever." Gilbert said excitedly, ignoring Oz's _don't count on anything._ "You could be who you want to be without being afraid."

"I…oh, all right. We'll try this out, Gil." Oz gave a pathetic smile that was obviously pained before dropping it completely. "But you have to promise me one thing; otherwise I won't even try this idea."

"Okay," Gilbert nodded hastily. He wanted to rid Oz of his burden. He couldn't stand the idea of someone suffering this way for so long without any help. He couldn't stand the idea of Oz, someone he loved, surrendering over and over again to the monster inside him.

"Promise me that if things go awry—if we're not able to do this and I end up attacking you—that you'll fight back. That you won't spend the last living moments of your life telling me I can resist." The anguish in Oz's expression was overwhelming, so much so that Gilbert couldn't speak. "I can't let you die that way. I won't let you lose your life because you gave me mercy and tried to get through to the real me, only to be cut open and killed."

"So you want me to…to fight back if you attack me? But I don't want to hurt you." Gilbert's eyes widened in fear, because he couldn't imagine hurting Oz. He couldn't imagine doing it if he tried. He couldn't. He wasn't strong enough, neither physically or mentally.

"But if I attack, it _won't_ be me, Gil. You'll be fighting the Oz you don't know." Oz said. His voice was strained, and Gilbert guessed this was because Oz was trying to hold back tears. "So you shouldn't care if you hurt me. Not only would it be self-defense, but it wouldn't even be _me._ You have to promise, Gil. I don't want you to die because you wouldn't fight back."

Gilbert's heart was beating so fast, _too_ fast, and he was panicking. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to hurt Oz, even if it meant at the cost of his own life. He would believe in him until the end. He could never…

But Oz wanted him to.

"I promise," Gilbert whispered.

 **…**

Oz had gone to sleep immediately after that long conversation with Gilbert, saying he couldn't handle talking or thinking about any of this anymore—at least not until the next day. So Gilbert had given Oz a light kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Gilbert really had no idea what he was going to do. He thought maybe he should go to sleep as well—he didn't mind sleeping in the same bed as Oz—but he realized he probably couldn't fall asleep if he tried. Still, that didn't mean he had any ideas of what to do while he was up.

Certainly not talk to Vincent.

Gilbert knew that Vincent was talking to Lottie about something in the dining room; he could hear their voices echo throughout the mostly-silent house of the Baskervilles. Making sure to pass the dining room quietly, Gilbert walked into the main room and found Oswald sitting on the couch. He was staring blankly into the fireplace, gazing at the dancing oranges and reds and yellows.

"Oswald?"

Oswald turned around slowly, seemingly not surprised. Gilbert wondered if Oswald had known he was there before he'd spoken; with Oswald, you could never tell.

"Gilbert." Oswald replied curtly. "Is there something wrong?"

"Um, how did you make a Contract with your Chain?" A completely random question, but it was the first thing that popped into Gilbert's head, and he blurted it out awkwardly.

"How did I Contract with Jabberwock?" Oswald paused, as if trying to remember. "I am not sure if this is correct, but…I seem to recall Jabberwock slicing part of its wing and letting the blood drip into my hand. Why?"

Gilbert gulped. "Uh, well, because the way I made a Contract with Oz was kind of strange, I thought. But maybe I was wrong?" He was hoping that Oswald would tell him he was busy and should go.

"How did you Contract with Oz?" Of course Oswald didn't, though. Gilbert was an unlucky person in general.

"He cut his hand with his scythe and made me…lick…the cut." Gilbert flinched.

"Oz made you _lick_ the blood off his hand?" Oswald's eyes widened slightly. "I…have never heard of that method before."

Gilbert exhaled. He'd suspected that Oz, odd as he was, had come up with that himself and had done so just to fluster him. _I suppose it would have been even stranger if Oz cut his lip or something and made me kiss him, though…_

"Neither have I," Gilbert agreed dumbly. "I don't know why he did it that way."

"Perhaps he sensed something he liked about you beforehand and thought that method would be amusing?" Oswald suggested halfheartedly.

Although, Gilbert suspected this probably wasn't too far off. When he'd asked Oz why he wanted to Contract with him so badly, Oz had answered, " _Because I like you, Gilbert._ "

Gilbert recalled how strange that had sounded then. He also recalled how normal it would sound now.

"Is that all?" Oswald prodded.

"Yeah," Gilbert replied. He turned around and took a step out of the room before stopping. He called back, without turning around, "Oswald?"

"Yes, Gilbert?" Oswald answered.

"Have you ever heard of a human falling in love with a Chain?" Gilbert asked.

There was a long pause, and for a moment Gilbert was going to leave because he thought Oswald wasn't going to end.

"Not until you and Oz," Oswald said finally.

 **…**

Well. Maybe more people knew about his relationship with Oz than he thought.

Gilbert sighed, shaking his head, as he exited the room. He still wasn't ready to go to sleep; he was wide awake, and if he closed his eyes, he'd probably get overwhelmed by his own thoughts. He opened the front door and sighed again, deciding to take a walk. He didn't care that it was dark out. At least he could see; Gilbert had pretty good eyes, and the moonlight provided just enough brightness.

"Wait! Gilbert!"

Gilbert froze, recognizing Lottie's voice and she scurried up next to him. She was frowning.

"Sorry, but your brother's an exhausting freak, and I need to do something refreshing," Lottie explained tartly. "Do you mind if I walk with you?"

Gilbert shook his head and motioned for her to follow him as he stepped outside. He wasn't very close to Lottie; he never had been. He didn't know much about her, and he doubted she knew much about him, besides the endless babble about him she probably heard from Vincent.

"So what were you talking to Vince about?" Gilbert decided to ask after they'd been walking for a few minutes.

"Oh, nothing important," Lottie insisted coldly. "That creepy brother of yours is going mental because he doesn't trust Oz. He was trying to get me to agree with him."

" _Do_ you agree with him?" Gilbert asked, a twinge of irritation passing through him.

" _I_ don't care. It's not my business what happens to you or whether your Chain is trustworthy. Oz is _your_ Chain." Lottie shrugged indifferently. Gilbert thought normally this response would be sort of cold, considering Lottie was suggesting she didn't care about what happened to him, but this was an average response for Lottie.

"What did Vince say?" Gilbert was feeling sort of relieved that Lottie didn't agree with Vincent—or, at least, she didn't care.

"Oz is going to kill you. Oz is a danger to you. You shouldn't trust Oz. _I_ shouldn't trust Oz. I should help him get rid of Oz. Blah, blah, blah." Lottie said, not bothering to hide the agitation in her voice.

Gilbert tensed. "Get _rid_ of Oz?"

"Oh, I doubt he'd actually do it. Vince really hates Oz, but that fool wouldn't dare hurt anyone you cared about. If he knew it would hurt you, he wouldn't do it." Lottie assured him, although she didn't sound like she quite believed it herself. Also, Lottie was the only one besides Gilbert who called Vincent "Vince".

Lottie paused. She squinted her eyes, but at nothing in particular. "Although, I've never seen Vince this worked up…"

Gilbert felt a chill run through him. Like Lottie, he doubted Vincent would actually go so far as to _get rid_ of Oz, but still. Vincent could be a very extreme person. A lot of people were permanently wary around him, and a lot of people were also afraid of him. And Vincent was even more extreme when it came to Gilbert.

"You don't think he'd actually hurt Oz, do you?" Gilbert's voice was laced with alarm.

Lottie rolled her eyes. "That's for you to determine. The freak's _your_ brother, not mine. And your constant concern for Oz is making me sick."

Gilbert twitched out of annoyance, but he wasn't _that_ annoyed. This was just Lottie's personality; everyone knew this was how she acted. She didn't mean to be disrespectful. She didn't even _dislike_ people she spoke to this way. It was Lottie's natural manner of speaking.

"That's too bad, Lottie," was all Gilbert said in reply. He said it in a very bored, uninterested tone; she'd just have to deal with how he felt about Oz.

"Yeah, I've seen worse things than how mushy you two are," Lottie said pointedly. "Vince is the freakiest person on the planet, I swear. I don't understand him." Her voice was dripping with disgust.

Gilbert—as well as the rest of the Baskervilles—was aware of how much Lottie hated his brother. Lottie wasn't _frightened_ of Vincent like a lot of others were; she just found him creepy and disturbing. She usually seemed more revolted than anything.

"I don't think any of us understand him," was the best Gilbert could manage without straight-out insulting his brother.

Lottie scoffed and nodded. "Vince is confusing. I don't really get how you two are related. You're not the same at _all._ "

Gilbert thought about that for a moment. He never really compared himself to Vincent, always just settled for the fact that they were brothers. But if he did compare himself to Vincent, they were undeniably different. Perhaps they were even opposites, in many respects.

Vincent confusing, Gilbert (somewhat) simple. Vincent deceitful, Gilbert sincere. Vincent violent, Gilbert peaceful.

Even comparing their appearances was fascinating. Vincent had straight blond hair that went almost all the way down his back, while Gilbert had wavy black hair that went just above his shoulders. Vincent had one golden eye and one crimson eye, while both of Gilbert's eyes were golden. And while Vincent usually wore an angelically innocent smile that was, in truth, sadistic and dark, Gilbert usually wore a cold glare, despite his kind personality.

"I guess you're right. But Vince isn't so bad," Gilbert said, weakly attempting to defend his younger brother.

"Yes, he _is._ Vince is creepy and weird, and he has an obsession with cutting up dolls, and you never know if you can trust him. Plus he freaks out about anything that's even a _little_ danger towards you." Lottie shuddered. "Sometimes I swear Vince isn't even human, seriously. He disturbs me. I don't know how you survive with him as your brother."

Though he knew it was cruel, this conversation was sort of refreshing. Gilbert got exhausted by Vincent as well, and although he loved him because he was his brother, it was nice to hear someone openly discussing their annoyance with Vincent. Lottie was the type of person who wouldn't water down any of her thoughts about a person, even if she was talking to the person's brother.

"You get used to it." Gilbert answered uneasily. He was lying. You never quite got used to Vincent.

"I bet." Lottie said sarcastically, whipping her hair back. At the same time, the two realized they'd arrived back where they started, and Lottie glanced at Gilbert. "We should go back inside."

Gilbert nodded wordlessly as they went back inside, only for Gilbert to trip over someone's foot. Lottie had already speed-walked away, so she didn't notice; she was in a separate room already.

Gilbert got back up and saw it was Vincent, who was frowning and closing the door.

"Why were you taking a walk so late? And why were you walking with _Lottie,_ of all the people here?" Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Gilbert let out a spurt of laughter at the suggestion. "You know me better than that, Vince."

Vincent shrugged. Then, pointedly, he said, "These days, with you, you never know." It was obvious was Vincent was referring to, and when Gilbert was about to retort, he continued what he was saying. "I thought I knew you well enough to figure out whether you'd love and trust a _Chain,_ Gil, but apparently not."

"Oz isn't going to kill me." Gilbert said firmly, quieting the part of him that was recalling his conversation with Oz from before.

"Well, I _did_ know you well enough to know you'd still be holding on to your old opinion. You're stubborn; I know that much." Vincent let out an exhausted combination of a yawn and a sigh. "I'm going to sleep, Gil. If Oz attacks you in your sleep, don't tell me I didn't warn you."

Gilbert wasn't really sure that was a joke. In fact, he was quite certain Vincent was being serious, and that made him scowl at Vincent's back as they walked in different directions.

As he yawned, Gilbert realized he was tired as well. If he lay down and closed his eyes, he'd probably be able to banish all the disturbing thoughts from his head and go to sleep. So he walked as quietly as he could into his bedroom, where Oz was sleeping soundly.

For a moment, Gilbert only stared at Oz, who looked so beautifully peaceful in his sleep. It was so unlike the real Oz, who was disturbed beyond comprehension, scared more of himself than anyone else. Gilbert thought that maybe someday, Oz could be this serene when he was awake.

Talk about wishful thinking.

Gilbert climbed into his bed and lay on his side, gazing at Oz until he felt his eyes beginning to close.

 **…**

When Gilbert woke up, Oz wasn't there.

He sat up sharply, waking up completely without any effort whatsoever. "Oz…?" He muttered, not thinking of the fact that Oz would never be able to hear him at that volume.

Gilbert slipped out of his bed and walked outside slowly. Judging from the sort of sunlight drifting in from the windows, it was early morning, maybe around 6:30. Where would Oz have gone at this time?

"Are you looking for Oz?"

Gilbert flinched at the sound of Vincent's voice and the unexpected hand that rested on his shoulder. He turned around and saw his brother, frowning solemnly at him.

"Don't worry about him. He took a walk. I caught him on his way out." Vincent looked severely uncomfortable, as well as somewhat depressed. It wasn't often that Gilbert saw his little brother depressed. "He told me…Oz told me to tell you that he just needed some time. That's all. And he said he'd be back soon."

Gilbert nodded. He knew he should have been at least a little suspicious of Vincent—what if he'd hurt Oz, and was lying to keep Gilbert from getting angry? But something in Vincent's expression, something in Vincent's voice, kept Gilbert believing his words were the truth.

Before Gilbert could turn away, Vincent spoke again.

"Gil, do you really trust Oz? I mean, I know you don't like bringing this up. I know you think I'm wrong about everything regarding Oz. But still." Vincent's eyes burned straight through Gilbert. "If you say you trust Oz, and you mean it, then I'll leave you alone. I promise." There was pain in his voice. "And…understand I'm doing this to protect you."

"I _know_ you're just trying to protect me, Vince. But you have to listen. I don't need a guardian. We're both adults now; it's not like when we were kids. Hell, I'm _older_ than you. If anyone should be the guardian here, it should be me." As opposed to the last time Vincent brought Oz up, it wasn't a struggle for Gilbert to keep himself calm. Maybe it was the promise that Vincent would leave him alone if he said he trusted Oz. "And don't think I don't appreciate this. I _do._ I appreciate every moment you spend trying to keep me safe. But you should go do things other than protect me, you know? Live out your life."

"Gil, I _can't._ Don't you understand? No matter what, I always feel as though my job is to protect you. I _have_ to hover over you at all times. I can't afford to have you get hurt. I love you, Gil. You're my brother. You're my _only_ brother." Vincent replied weakly. "My life _is_ protecting you. Without that, there's nothing left, do you understand?" Before Gilbert could respond, he said, "No, never mind. It doesn't matter if you understand or not, because you probably don't. I can't blame you. But…Gil, let's go back to the original point. Do you trust Oz? Do you _really_ trust Oz?"

Instead of responding immediately, Gilbert took his time to think this over. _Did_ he really trust Oz? _Could_ he really trust Oz? Oz was a Chain, the most infamous Chain to ever come out of the Abyss. He'd killed all his previous Contractors, lost himself to his Chain side every single time. He had even _admitted_ , several times over, that he thought this would happen again and he'd end up murdering Gilbert. How could he trust someone like that?

But Gilbert also knew the part of Oz that wasn't Chain. He loved that part of him. That Oz was reliable, selfless, and beautiful in every way. That Oz didn't want to hurt anyone and hated himself for what he'd done in the past. He wanted to redeem himself. He wanted to tame the part of him that was violent and dangerous.

"Yes." Gilbert said finally, after a long time of silence. "Yes, I do."

Vincent's expression got even sadder. But he only said, in the form of a whisper, "All right, Gil. I believe you. And always remember…I love you, and we're brothers no matter what happens."

Vincent turned away and began walking towards the dining room. He might eat breakfast by himself, although the Baskervilles usually ate together. Vincent was naturally a deviant and even something as little as that was definitely one of the things _he_ specifically would do.

Then, still standing in the same spot, Gilbert mulled over his brother's words.

 _And always remember…I love you, and we're brothers no matter what happens._

That was what Vincent had said. Vincent always said things like that to Gilbert, things that confirmed their bond was unbreakable over and over again, that assured him they would never break apart, even if something disastrous happened. What did Vincent say these kinds of things for, again and again?

Gilbert couldn't help thinking that maybe Vincent said this for himself, too. Vincent was insecure at best, despite the air he gave off—that he was strange, but very confident and mysterious. Maybe Vincent said these things so _he_ could hold on to his bond with Gilbert as well. Maybe sometimes he thought their bond was disappearing, and so he not only had to remind Gilbert of it, but himself as well.

Suddenly, Gilbert heard fast, strong footsteps coming towards him, and he snapped out of his trance. It was Lottie, wide-eyed and frantic.

"Gilbert!" She was yelling. "Your Chain's going berserk!"


	4. Author's Note

Hey guys. (If anyone is reading this. XD) I'm really sorry about the wait for chapter 4. This is probably going to be the last chapter, and I'm having a bit of trouble writing it. I guess this probably _isn't_ that long a wait when you compare me to some other people (not hinting at anything, just saying), but considering the short amount of time it took me to post chapter 1-3, this is a very long wait. Again, I apologize. Thanks for sticking around. ^^

(...Again, if anyone is reading this. ;u;)


	5. Bloody Rabbit, Beautiful Rabbit

Gilbert's twitched in shock, unable to immediately process Lottie's words. He knew the time would come someday, with the way Oz was talking and acting, but not so soon!

"Where is he?" Gilbert demanded, forcing the fear out of his voice. He couldn't let that show.

"Oz is in the lawn! Go quickly!" Lottie snapped. "We don't have a lot of time!"

Gilbert was running before Lottie even finished. He swung open the front door, not bothering to close it behind him, and saw Oz. His back was facing him, and he was on his knees, not moving.

Gilbert walked slowly and cautiously towards his Chain. He didn't know what to expect. Oz didn't _look_ dangerous right now, but…

"Oz…?" Gilbert murmured, standing over Oz.

Oz snapped around instantly upon hearing Gilbert's voice. He grinned, but it wasn't the playful, childish grin Gilbert had grown used to. It was…stranger. It was too wide, and along with the manic expression in Oz's eyes, it made Oz look unbelievably frightening.

" _There_ you are," Oz purred in a menacingly soft voice that he normally would never use. "You're _just_ the one I've been looking for."

"Might I ask why?" Gilbert said shakily. He could tell that this was Oz's Chain side. This wasn't the Oz he knew. That grin, that voice, those eyes…Gilbert wasn't familiar with any of them.

"I'm surprised you don't know." Oz laughed shrilly; it was a horrible noise. "You're my Contractor. Naturally I'd be looking for you. You know what I did to all my previous Contractors, don't you?"

"Yeah," Gilbert replied, because it was the only thing he could manage to say without betraying a sense of fear.

"Gil!" Vincent's voice sounded from behind the two, and soon Gilbert felt Vincent's hand on his shoulder. Vincent was standing next to him.

"Leave, Vince. This isn't your problem." Gilbert's voice was dark and urgent. "I don't want you to get caught up in this."

"How should I kill _you?_ " Oz interrupted, giving Gilbert a sickly sweet look. "You get tired of this after a while, you know. Killing all your Contractors, the exact same way…let's spice things up."

"I'm not leaving," Vincent said firmly, ignoring Oz. "All of your problems are my problems, and I will _not_ stand here, doing nothing, as my big brother gets attacked!"

"Ah, Vincent, it's you," Oz turned to Vincent, as if noticing him for the first time. "I expected you to show up here. The way you're overprotective of Gilbert is adorable, I must say…and just a bit repulsive." He smirked.

"There's nothing repulsive about caring for your family." Vincent growled. He turned to Gilbert, worry lighting in his eyes. " _See?_ What did I tell you? I knew he couldn't be trusted. I knew Oz would turn on you."

Gilbert didn't bother responding as he stared at Oz with a glazed, pained expression. It was then that he noticed the blood on his clothes, and he felt rage rip through him abruptly as the truth hit him.

"That's not yours, is it?" It came out of Gilbert in a roar. "That blood isn't yours!"

Oz laughed; all of the sanity that was supposed to have been in that laugh was dead and gone. "What do _you_ think?"

"Tell me whose it is!" Gilbert demanded, extremely forceful. He found himself realizing this really wasn't Oz. He hated whatever _this_ was. He hated it. And it occurred to him that Lottie had probably seen Oz hurt the person, and that's how she'd known he was going berserk.

"This blood belongs to Oswald." Oz looked down at the blood on his clothes. "He tried to protect you. He knew I was going after you. Stupid decision…"

Gilbert felt his heart beat insanely fast, fury coursing through him with every beat. He couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe Oz—no, _whatever_ this was—attacked Oswald. This whole situation was crazy, and Gilbert himself could barely understand what was going on.

"Where is he?" Gilbert snarled, swinging around to Vincent. Vincent flinched.

"Don't worry about Oswald. He's fine; Lottie and the rest of them are taking care of him. But… _this_ needs to be taken care of." Vincent said, flourishing his hand in Oz's direction. "Did you seriously not expect this, Gil? After all the warnings I gave you."

"No, I expected it, it's just…" Gilbert exhaled slowly. Oz had stopped talking and was watching the two intently. Gilbert knew he had to explain everything to his brother— _everything._ Otherwise, he just wouldn't understand.

Gilbert explained about Oz's Chain side, about the discussion they'd had, about how Oz had foretold all of this but Gilbert hadn't anticipated it happening so soon. Vincent didn't say a word through any of it; he was a rather good listener when he had to be. He almost had no reactions, although at certain points of Gilbert's explanation, his eyes widened slightly.

"So, let me get this straight. Oz is now your Chain boyfriend, but he warned you that he was going to kill you, and you stayed with him anyway." Vincent looked massively disturbed. "Despite all of his warnings, you _still_ stayed with him. And you started making a plan to neutralize his evil Chain side, but then this happened too soon for you to take action."

Oz narrowed his eyes and growled, "Did you really think you could neutralize me? I'm _part_ of Oz. I _am_ Oz. He can't get rid of himself!" He shot Gilbert a nasty look. "Perhaps suicide really _was_ the best option, as he had thought."

"Suicide is never the best option," Gilbert answered, shaking his head. He wasn't sure if he believed himself entirely, but he believed himself in regards to Oz. "And _you_ aren't Oz!"

"Say what you like, but the truth is unavoidable. I'm Oz. I was always Oz. He _lied_ to you, Gilbert." Oz said bitterly, sounding as if he was enjoying every second of this.

But Gilbert wasn't convinced. "You're not Oz. If you were Oz, you would have called Oz _I,_ not _he._ You just said _he_ lied to me."

Oz hissed, obviously having no good retort. He looked incredibly angry and annoyed, wondering why Gilbert wasn't backing down.

"You look pissed off." Vincent observed. "Why don't you go cool down, and then leave for good? I told you already—wait, no, I told _Oz_ —that he wouldn't like what happened if he did something he wasn't supposed to. I believe trying to murder Gil counts."

"Do you really think you can do _anything_ to stop me? I am Oz and Oz is me. You can't change that! Even if we're completely different, we're different sides of the same person. Have you ever thought of it that way?" Oz's eyes glinted madly. "Vincent. Gilbert would never forgive you if you hurt his precious Oz. The only way to end this is to kill me, and by killing me, you're also killing Oz!"

"There must be a way," Gilbert grumbled.

"I'm not sure." Sadness and pity reflected in Vincent's eyes as he turned to his elder brother. "Gil, he might be right. Killing him means killing Oz. If things come to it…that might be what we have to do."

Gilbert had already been on the breaking point, and now he felt as though he was exploding, spouting flames. "Vince, _leave._ Leave _now._ This is my fight, and plus, I'm not going to deal with your endless babble about how I might have to kill Oz. I'm _not_ killing Oz, no matter what you say! I promised Oz I'd fight back if it ever came to this, but I never told him I'd _kill_ him. And your words aren't changing anything! I can't lose my little brother this way. _Leave,_ Vincent!"

"Gil, I _can't_ leave you! I can't leave you in such a dangerous situation. I can't." Vincent was shaking his head violently.

"I don't care what you think you can and can't do. I _know_ you can leave me here, Vince. _Go inside!_ " Gilbert shouted, completely ignoring Oz's crazed giggles that had begun to sound in the background.

Vincent spun around furiously to Oz, screaming, "To hell with you!" before stomping back into the house of the Baskervilles. No doubt he'd go on a rage the moment the door closed behind him.

"It's just me and you now, hmm? This is going to be fun."

Gilbert turned back to Oz, who was sneering. "You've done this a thousand times over, haven't you? I don't see how this could still be fun to you."

"It's the one thing that never gets boring." The fit of giggles Oz had been going through a second ago came back. "Murder—it's forbidden. It's something you can't forgive. It's cruel, it's horrible. It's _always_ amusing."

"Well, it shouldn't be." Gilbert had to force himself not to shudder; the fear made his body literally go cold. "If you think murder is the most fun thing in this world, you're mad."

"I was always mad. You were always too stupid to see it." Oz countered. "And I know exactly what you're going to say." He made his voice shrill and girly, oozing with mockery. " _Oh! I'm not stupid! How could I have ever known? I only just met you!_ " His face twisted into a snarl. "But you'd be wrong—because, as I've said, and as you refuse to believe, I am Oz."

"You're not Oz!"

The rage ripped through Gilbert so hard it felt like he was being torn apart. And he needed to tear something apart himself. He needed to destroy this horrible creature that definitely _wasn't_ Oz, this creature that definitely _was_ something he had never met before and would liked to never have met.

He charged towards Oz, his face a mask of incomprehensible anger, his eyes fixing on his target. Oz stood up but didn't move; still, his eyes turned red and the B-Rabbit scythe appeared in his hand.

Gilbert knew this was an ill-advised battle. It wasn't even a _battle,_ really. Oz would skewer him so fast it would be considered the most shameful "battle" in Baskerville history. Oz was the most powerful Chain to ever come out of the Abyss; there was no way he could win this.

And Gilbert wasn't even thinking about mercy for this creature now. He just wanted to get rid of Oz's Chain side, get back the Oz he loved, and go to sleep.

 _Yes, Oz, I will fight back. I won't break our promise. But I'll get rid of your Chain side without getting rid of you._

A punch flew at Oz, but Oz dodged easily and swung his scythe down at Gilbert, the first devastating blow being dealt. Despite the blood he could feel welling at the slash in his arm, Gilbert barely felt it. He recovered quickly and succeeded in kicking Oz's side.

Oz skidded backwards, somehow managing to keep his balance. He snarled at Gilbert, looking completely infuriated, and summoned three huge, spear-tipped chains.

 _A Chain using chains…how fitting._ Gilbert narrowed his eyes in focus, making sure he could tell where the chains were going to go. Oz always twitched the chain a little bit before actually moving it, Gilbert noticed. As Oz swung the chains down at Gilbert mercilessly, Gilbert made sure to swiftly dodge every one.

But Gilbert tripped over a chain, though luckily it wasn't the spear part, and he crashed to the ground, hitting his face. This gave Oz enough time to gash the side of Gilbert's face.

This, Gilbert couldn't ignore. This cut was much deeper than the one on his arm, not to mention it was on his _face,_ which always made things worse. His head was already throbbing from hitting the ground, but now excruciating pain shot through him. He put his hand up to the wound, feeling the wetness of the blood against his hand. The blood was dripping out and far too fast—if this went on, Gilbert might black out from too much blood loss. He couldn't afford that. Oz's Chain side would kill him for sure.

But then Gilbert noticed Oz wasn't facing him.

"Oz…? How did you…? You've never been able to talk to me while I killed our previous Contractors…"

Gilbert blinked in confusion. Was Oz talking to _himself?_

 _Wait._

Gilbert smiled weakly to himself, realizing what this meant. This meant that Oz was speaking to his Chain side—the _real_ Oz. And that proved Oz's Chain side wasn't entirely Oz.

"Shut up, Oz! You know this is the best way. You know you enjoy this." Pause. " _What?_ No, it's not just me. You like this too!" Pause. "Oz, you're in my way! Get out of my way!" Pause. "No, no, no! No, I won't back down. I don't care what you say." He turned to Gilbert, a look of pain and straining on his face. He glowered at him. "I'm blocking out that moron's voice right now. It seems he's taken a real shine to you. He's only ever been able to talk to me outside of situations like this."

"So you _aren't_ him!" Unexpected glee filled Gilbert's voice, despite the pain he was in. He was holding his hand to the side of his face where the gash was. He wasn't sure whether that made it feel better, but he wasn't about to take his hand away now.

"No, you've got it all wrong, Gilbert. I _am_ him. I said before that I'm a _part_ of him—that other Oz still exists. He's still in there. I just…I don't understand…" Oz shook his head, as if ridding himself of a pesky thought. "Never mind…"

Gilbert's eyes widened in terror as Oz coiled a couple (regular, not spear-tipped) chains around him. The chains went over to the tree next to Gilbert and chained him to it.

"You're not going anywhere." Oz was scowling, but there was something definitely off with him. He turned away. "Tell me!"

Gilbert flinched in his chains; Oz's voice had come out as a tight roar, sounding exceptionally frustrated.

"Tell me how you're doing this!" Pause. "You just _are?_ What kind of stupid answer is that? Go to hell, Oz!" Pause. "Yes, I damn well know that I can't get rid of you. But you can't get rid of me, either!' Pause. "You thought that plan would actually _work?_ I see Gilbert wasn't the only dumb one here, thinking the plan to neutralize me would work." Pause. "Do you think I care about your love for him? Do you think I care about his love for _you?_ "

Gilbert was beginning to wish he could hear what Oz was saying…although, from what Oz's Chain side was saying, it was pretty easy to guess.

"You're in my way! You're always in my way!" Oz was screaming now, and it was so odd to watch, because it looked like he was screaming at no one. "What's wrong with you? Don't you get it? You can _never_ win! No matter how much you fight. No matter how much you resist. I will _always_ take over!" Pause. "I hate you! I hate you! Why don't you get it?! There's no hope for you!"

Suddenly, Oz turned around to Gilbert with an absolutely deadly look on his face. Gilbert felt his heart freeze over with fear. _What's he going to do to me?_

"Why?" Oz growled, his eyes giving away his obvious rage. He was gripping his scythe so hard his knuckles were practically white. His voice rose. "Why did you convince him there was hope?!"

Gilbert refused to answer. He wasn't going to give anything to this repulsive creature—not anymore. He would stay silent; it didn't matter how much he was yelled at. As Oz's face grew increasingly angrier, Gilbert felt as though he'd already won.

"Answer me!" Oz screamed. "Answer me now, you goddamn fool! Do you know what I can do to you?"

And to this Gilbert did answer. But he retained his calm attitude, making sure he sounded relaxed as hell. "Yes, I know what you can do to me—absolutely nothing. I know Oz is fighting. I know he's trying to get out. And I can tell he's winning, from the look on your face and from hearing your side of the argument. It'd probably be a good idea to give up now."

"Stop it! Why do you sound so damn relaxed? Go to hell! Go to hell, both of you!" Oz's voice was insanely loud and shrill, and it was hurting Gilbert's ears, but he didn't show it. Gilbert guessed that the other person Oz's Chain side was referring to was the actual Oz. "Neither of you will win. I won't let you! I've never lost before!"

"It's always a good time for new experiences," Gilbert said sarcastically, allowing himself a small smirk.

"Damn you! Be quiet, Gilbert. I hate you. I hate you and hate _him._ You're both fools—arrogant fools!" Oz hollered. The sanity had already disappeared from in the first place, but somehow it looked like it was depleting even more now. "You both think you'll get through this. You both think everything will end up happy. But in real life, you don't always get a happy ending! You have to know when there's a fight you can't win!"

"If you believe you can't win, then you won't." Gilbert retorted stubbornly.

"I'm sick of your optimism! Optimism is worthless. Optimism stupidity disguised—and yet, people still insist it brings hope. Humans are fools." Oz said tartly. "You're going to die!"  
"If you're really going to kill me, then why are you talking? Come on. Finish the job." Gilbert smiled mockingly.

But, as he expected, Oz didn't move. He gave him a look that would render him dead if looks could kill, but nothing more than that. Gilbert's smile turned from mocking to triumphant.

"He's still fighting, isn't he? And he's still winning." Gilbert said, his voice holding victory within.

Oz froze for a moment, as if mulling over Gilbert's words. Then, snarling with eyes narrowed, he lunged at him and slashed him down the chest with his scythe.

 **…**

Gilbert felt bad when he woke up.

He remembered when he'd first made a Contract with Oz. It had been sort of like this. He'd passed out, and then he'd woken up, feeling sore as hell.

But this situation was still different. It was _Oz_ —or Oz's Chain side, rather—who'd done this. It all came flooding back to Gilbert in an instant. He remembered how he was sure he'd secured victory for himself. He remembered how Oz had paused, and he became even surer. He remembered how Oz slashed him across the chest with his B-Rabbit scythe. He was quite certain that as that happened, he had a look of horror on his face, although it was impossible to discern by his lonesome.

Oswald, Lottie, and Vincent were standing by his side. Lottie and Oswald had the same expression of concern on their faces, but Vincent, in turn, looked furious.

"What were you _thinking,_ Gil?" Vincent shouted. "You should have let me stay out there! It was stupid of you to think you could handle him on your own!" His voice broke, and he shuddered. "Gil, when Oz dealt that last hit out there, I thought…I thought you were going to die. Thank God we're Baskervilles here."

"Vince, I'm so sorry." Gilbert managed to choke out. He realized that, although he felt achy, his wounds had healed for the most part by now. Being a Baskerville was definitely an upside to all this. He had a long scar on his chest, though. But that hardly mattered.

Vincent exhaled deeply. "It's okay. Everything is fine, Gil. Just…about Oz…"

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Gilbert demanded harshly, shocked at how vicious he sounded all of a sudden.

"No, we didn't _kill_ him! Good God!" Lottie answered for Vincent, ignoring the glare she was given. She sounded ticked off. "Oz is back to his normal self. He's…not looking too great, though."

"Where is he?" Gilbert asked immediately.

"Gil, we don't know if he's pretending so he can lure you to him again. He's in the dining room." Vincent said softly. "You shouldn't go. You should stay here until we determine whether Oz is trying to deceive you or not."

"I believe I can determine that by myself, thank you very much," Gilbert shot back icily.

" _Vincent._ Give us all a break and let him go see his boyfriend, will you?" Lottie said bitterly. "From what I can tell, this is the Oz we knew before. Let him _go._ "

Gilbert nodded appreciatively at Lottie, but Vincent began shouting, "You don't know what you're saying! What if Oz kills him? What if we _lose_ a Baskerville? What if we lose my _brother?_ "

"He'll be fine! We're not going to lose anyone! Stop worrying and being over the top and just let Gilbert go, you creepy brat!" Lottie yelled back. Vincent fell silent; he wasn't used to people yelling at him, especially not people who weren't Gilbert.

Gilbert's hand clasped around his brother's wrist as he said, "Vince, I promise you that I'll be fine. Just… _please._ I have to see Oz. It's not even a choice in my mind. I _have_ to."

Vincent sighed, the irritation definitely evident. "You know what? _Fine_ , Gil. But just know that if you die, it'll forever be on my conscience." It was a mix of coldness and concern.

"You won't even have to think about that." Gilbert slipped away in less than a second, and he went to the dining room. He needed to see Oz.

In truth, Gilbert was nervous. What if Vincent was right? What if this was Oz's Chain side, trying to lure him there? What if he'd fallen for a horrible trick, and something happened to him? It was likely.

But Gilbert knew from the moment he saw Oz crying that this wasn't a trick. There was a sort of vulnerability that only Oz could conjure up. This vulnerability wasn't something his Chain side could use to trick people; his Chain side couldn't conjure it up at all. The moment Oz's Chain side tried to act vulnerable Gilbert would be able to tell it was fake.

"Oz…!" Gilbert gasped, running over to him.

Oz thrust a hand out. He spoke, his voice choked with tears. "No. Get away from me, Gil. You've seen what I am. You should leave. Or, better—you should kill me. It's the only way. I was able to resist my Chain side for the first time ever, but too late. My Chain side will try to take me over again soon. You have to kill me. Kill me or leave."

"Oh, now we're back to this?" Gilbert said, annoyed. He crossed his arms. He knew he _shouldn't_ be annoyed with Oz—in fact, he probably had a point. But as he had several times before, he refused to give in. "You can't just do this every time something goes wrong, Oz."

"And as usual, you don't get it!" Oz shouted. His voice was still strained and thick with tears, and when he looked up at Gilbert, his furious expression was dampened by the tears running down his face. "I love you, Gil. I really do. But you don't understand. Actually, you _refuse_ to. And that's going to get you killed someday, you know? That stubbornness is going to get you killed. I don't care how much you love me or how much you believe in me. _I_ don't believe in me. You have to _run,_ Gil. And if you don't want to run, then kill me."

"Oz…" Gilbert's expression softened. Maybe this time, he wouldn't just deny everything. "Oz. Maybe you're right. Maybe I _should_ run away from you, or kill you." He saw the relief wash across Oz's tear-stained face, which soon vanished with Gilbert's next words. Gilbert smiled sadly. "But…Oz. You know I could never do either of those things, even if I tried. I couldn't run from you. And I certainly couldn't kill you. Even if I wanted to, even if I tried to, I couldn't do it."

"Think about it this way. Killing me or running away would make _me_ happy, too." Oz said urgently, trying desperately to get Gilbert to agree. "If you left or killed me, this whole thing would finally be over. I'd be _happy,_ Gil. Don't you want me to be happy?"

Gilbert's expression softened even further. "Yes. Oz, I love you. I love to see you happy. Your happiness is mine. And I might do those things if they made you happy, but I don't believe for a second that they would."

And a look of utter fear crossed Oz's face now, because Gilbert had seen right through him. He was trying to keep Gilbert safe, but if Gilbert ran or killed him, he could never be with him again. It might keep Gilbert safe, but it would never make Oz happy. He was hoping Gilbert wouldn't be able to see that. But he could.

"Gil…maybe it wouldn't make me happy. But you have to stop thinking about me. Do you…do you not care about your own life?" Oz's voice had weakened to a dull whisper. "You shouldn't care about making me unhappy if your life is on the line. I…I really don't want to hurt you again."

"I understand. But you also have to understand that I don't know what I'd do without you. Even though it hasn't been very long, life without you just seems…unimaginable. I can't imagine living every day without you." Gilbert replied earnestly. These words were true to his heart; he really couldn't picture himself living out a life without Oz. And he murmured, perhaps even half to himself, "This is what happens when you fall in love."

Oz was silent for a moment. Then he agreed, "It is." His voice broke, but just a little. "I know how hard it is. I don't want you to go. That's the truth, Gil. Maybe you can't kill me, but I know you could run if you tried. I don't want you to leave. I want to be with you forever. But I don't want you to die. Whether it costs me my own happiness or not…is my concern."

Gilbert gazed hard at Oz for a moment, and he could tell it was paining Oz to say all these things. He hated to see Oz is pain. He hated to hear Oz say these things. He hated that they had to go through this _again._

"But, Oz. What if it costs _my_ happiness?" Gilbert looked down at Oz with agonized golden eyes.

Oz looked back up at him with those beautiful green eyes, those green eyes that were Oz's and Oz's alone. "It shouldn't. You'll still be alive, at least."

"I'll be alive either way. We'll find a way to neutralize your Chain side. And if I run, I _won't_ be happy. I could never be happy without you." Part of Gilbert wondered how Oz hadn't predicted this response. He met Oz's eyes. "I am in love with you, Oz."

Oz sighed, a look of surrender crossing his face, but it wasn't _bad._ "I'm in love with you, too, Gilbert. And that's exactly why I'm trying to protect you."

"The only thing that could ever hurt me is being separated from you. Don't you understand? You couldn't hurt me. You stopped yourself once; you can do it again. And not only that, but I'll help you, because I could never hurt you, either. I love you. We can't hurt each other." Gilbert saw Oz biting his lip hard. Oz's eyes were watering. Was he going to cry? "I can't hurt you; you can't hurt me. Please, Oz. I just want to be with you. I just want to be happy with you. And I know you want the same thing."

Oz believed Gilbert, but he was still nervous. What if he _couldn't_ stand up to his Chain side the next time?

"I know what we can call my Chain side," Gilbert said, abrupt and awkward.

Oz blinked, stunned by the random change of subject. "What?"

"We can call it the B-Rabbit." Gilbert replied, acting like he had just aided a revolution.

Oz frowned. "Gil, if you hadn't noticed, I _am_ the B-Rabbit."

"No, you're _not_ the B-Rabbit. You're _Oz._ This kind of thinking will help you. Don't think of yourself as the B-Rabbit." Gilbert smiled gently. "This way, we can separate your Chain side with a different name."

And Oz, who barely understood what was happening, smiled back—because Gilbert had just convinced him that he _wasn't_ the monster inside of him.

 **…**

Vincent's eyes were pinned on Oz as Oz and Gilbert walked out of the dining room together. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"So?" Vincent looked at Gilbert now.

"I'm alive. You can see that." Gilbert said, a bit sourly. "I'm _fine,_ Vince; Oz is back to his normal self. And I think you need to stop being so overprotective."

Vincent gave Gilbert a look that paralyzed him. "You obviously don't get it. I've told you a million times, my life _is_ protecting you. Not to mention I still don't trust this brat."

Without warning, Vincent lunged forward and wrapped his hands around Oz's throat. Oz coughed.

"Vince!" Gilbert shouted, feeling fury and agitation course through him. Couldn't his younger brother listen to him _one_ time?

Vincent gave Gilbert a cold expression. "Don't worry. Oz won't choke…he won't choke _yet,_ anyway…" He gave off an air of dangerous mysteriousness. He turned his attention back to Oz. He snarled, some of his spit flying into Oz's face. "Listen, Oz the B-Rabbit. I've never seen a Chain behave like you before, and I don't trust you, especially not with my precious big brother."

Gilbert had to struggle not to roll his eyes at that part.

"What is it you're trying to do to me?" Oz's voice was strained because of the pressure Vincent was putting on his throat. "I haven't done anything to Gil, have I?"

"Are you kidding? You attacked him—could have _killed_ him!" Vincent yelled. "How is that _not doing anything to him?_ "

"That wasn't me," Oz insisted. He let out another cough.

"Then who _was_ it? Because whoever tried to murder Gil looked an awful lot like you," Vincent growled.

"That was the B-Rabbit. Not me." The expression in Oz's eyes darkened.

Vincent glanced over at Gilbert with confusion and annoyance, to which Gilbert responded with, "Oz is Oz—that's the real him. His Chain side, we call the B-Rabbit."

"Whatever. Stop taking his side! And if you can't, then shut your mouth, Gil." Vincent said viciously. His eyes locked on Oz with a look as if he was about to tear apart his prey. "What do you view my brother as? Do you see him as your victim? Because if you do, I can guarantee _you'll_ be the victim in no time."

"Gil isn't my victim! Let go of me, Vincent!" Oz gripped Vincent's hands with his own and tried to push them off his throat. He succeeded only for a second.

"Why don't you use your Chain powers? You'll be strong enough to get me off of you, and then Gil can get the treat of seeing the monster you are again." Vincent hissed through clenched teeth.

Gilbert blinked nervously. He didn't like the way this was going, and it was unusual for Vincent to be this outright and ferocious. Vincent usually liked to intimidate and scare people by being too quiet or calm for the situation. This was different—Vincent was losing his temper. Gilbert allowed himself to be impressed for a moment that Oz could manage to irritate Vincent this much, but then he remembered what was happening.

"I am not a monster!" Oz was trying to shout, but it was extremely difficult when Vincent was partially choking him.

"Vince, let go of him for a second!" Gilbert demanded. He mustered his strength and made sure he didn't sound scared.

And Vincent did, reluctantly, turning to Gilbert after growling at Oz.

"Don't. Move," Vincent had said to Oz. Gilbert sighed.

"What happened to 'I'm okay with whatever _you're_ okay with, Gilbert'? Are you really so disillusioned by this that you're just casting my opinions aside?" Gilbert said sharply.

Vincent turned a cruel smile on him. "I thought that was what you wanted, Gil. I thought you wanted to move on—to stop hovering over you." His voice was sickeningly mocking.

Gilbert groaned. "You know this isn't what I meant, Vince. Plus, you haven't stopped at all. This whole situation is because you think Oz is a danger to me, when really he's not. If you were really moving on, you'd take my word."

"Or maybe I'm just a good brother!" Vincent said icily. "You know, some people don't get this. Some people's brothers don't _give_ a crap what happens to them. I love you, Gil. You're _lucky._ Appreciate it."

Gilbert knew the truth of his brother's words. He _was_ lucky to have such a caring, concerned brother. But Vincent always went overboard, and Vincent was dangerous and unpredictable and, to Gilbert's dismay, damn near unstoppable. What Gilbert was _really_ lucky about was that Vincent hadn't managed to do anything really horrible.

Wait, _had_ he?

Gilbert had no idea. And Vincent _would_ manage to do something horrible if he managed killing Oz.

"I _do_ appreciate it. I…I love you too, Vince. You're my little brother. You're my only little brother. But sometimes you do things that aren't okay when you're trying to protect me. You go overboard, Vince. You do more than you have to." Gilbert said, calming his nerves. He knew that if he freaked out, Vincent would never take him seriously. "If you actually thought about what you did before you did it…" He trailed off.

Vincent's expression softened the tiniest bit, his eyes widening slightly. Gilbert knew Vincent had a weak spot for him and felt sort of bad for exploiting it so often. Then again, Vincent practically forced him to.

Suddenly, Vincent tackled him in a hug.

Gilbert had always felt awkward when Vincent approached him this way, and this time was no exception. Vincent just didn't seem like the kind of person to be affectionate. And Gilbert knew that Vincent enjoyed his restless reactions. Gilbert tensed, unsure of what to do.

 _Should I hug him back, or…?_

Oz stood there, awkwardly watching them.

Gilbert was so flustered that by the time he decided to hug his brother back, Vincent was already releasing him. He was smiling, too.

"Gil. I…I'll believe you. Let's just hope Oz doesn't do anything else, hmm?"

As usual, it was impossible to tell what was behind that angelic smile.

As Vincent walked away, Gilbert muttered, "I really hope he doesn't come back and kill you in your sleep."

Oz let out a carefree, bright laugh. He winked, grinned, and replied, "Ha! He couldn't hurt me if he tried."

 **…**

"Huh?"

Gilbert frowned. He was sitting on his bed, reading a book, while Oz stared out the window. Oz had uttered the aforementioned word, and Gilbert put down his book to look over at him.

"I can't talk to the B-Rabbit," Oz murmured, his voice taking on a strange quality. It was somewhere between relief, confusion, and worry.

"What do you mean?" Gilbert blinked.

"I mean that I can usually communicate with the B-Rabbit. But I just tried, and…he won't talk back. Either that or he's gone. That would make no sense, but I can't even feel his presence." Oz shrugged indifferently, although it was obvious he _did_ care.

"Are you joking?" Gilbert asked this in a hopeful tone. He really hoped Oz wasn't kidding. If he was, he'd kill him for making him so optimistic.

"Nope," Oz laughed. "But if I was, what would you do to me?"

"I'd kill you." Gilbert answered, but he was smiling.

"Right you would." Oz laughed again. Then he looked at Gilbert thoughtfully. "But, seriously. I feel like we already neutralized the B-Rabbit…like somehow he's within me, but he can't influence me anymore."

"Oz…that's…that's great!" It was a sort of strange outburst that started out quiet, and slowly a smile spread over Gilbert's face. Oz smiled back.

"I know!" Oz grinned. "So, now I don't have to try to kill you!"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that." Gilbert went over to the smaller male and ruffled his hair. "I want to be with you as long as possible, thanks."

 **...**

And that is the end of You Bloody Rabbit! I'm really sorry if you're not satisfied with this ending. As I mentioned, this chapter was especially difficult to write. I also apologize if some of the characters' personalities didn't turn out quite right in parts of the story. Writing as characters you didn't create is hard, as you all probably know. XD I hope you enjoyed this. I thank you all for reading this. This is 72 pages on Microsoft Word...woof!

Again, thanks so much! :3


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